A Prank Too Far
by TheGoldenYoshichu
Summary: When Rainbow Dash is hailed as the hero of Ponyville she becomes arrogant. The Mane Six decide that a good prank might make her more humble. But the prank seems to harm Rainbow Dash. The rest of the Mane Six need to make up for their actions. Meanwhile Gilda is doing everything she can to help Rainbow Dash and she gets help from an unlikely friend. Sequel to Applebucking Contest.
1. Chapter 1: Disturbing Nightmares

**Chapter 1: Disturbing Nightmares**

The purple unicorn Twilight Sparkle was sitting inside her treehouse mumbling to herself. She had recently discovered a strange new potion and she was trying to figure out what it did. She couldn't test it on anypony out of fear that the effects would be harmful. She flipped through a few pages of one of her books in an attempt to find an answer. Her search was futile since this was the first time such a potion was created. She heard a knock on her door and sighed. She closed her book and went to open the door and greet her guest.

"Hi Twilight!" Pinkie Pie said eagerly.

"Hey Pinkie." Twilight Sparkle replied cheerfully. "Are you here to pick up the secret ingredient for the frosting for your new batch of cupcakes?"

Pinkie Pie nodded and Twilight Sparkle told the energetic pink pony that the frosting's secret ingredient was in the kitchen. The unicorn left Pinkie Pie to her business and went back to reading her book. She hardly heard Pinkie Pie's farewell as she walked out of the unicorn's treehouse. Twilight Sparkle had allowed her friend Pinkie Pie to leave her secret ingredient at her treehouse since SugarCube Corner had run out of room for ingredients. Thinking that she had an idea, Twilight Sparkle placed a bookmark on the page that she was reading and closed her book. She walked into the kitchen and opened up the bottle. When she opened it she knew instantly that something was wrong.

This was not the potion that she had left sitting on the counter. This was Pinkie Pie's secret ingredient. That could only mean one thing.

"Oh no." the unicorn whispered. She quickly ran out of her treehouse and sprinted towards SugarCube Corner, hoping beyond hope that she wouldn't be too late.

Meanwhile at SugarCube Corner, Pinkie Pie was just about to put the frosting on her first batch of cupcakes.

"Come on Pinkie." her friend Rainbow Dash pleaded. "I wanna try these cupcakes." The pegasus had agreed to be Pinkie Pie's taste tester for the pony's new batch of sweets.

"There we go." Pinkie Pie said happily. She presented the first cupcake to Rainbow Dash and the pegasus picked it up eagerly. Then at that moment Twilight Sparkle burst into the room. The unicorn saw the cupcake just inches away from the pegasus' mouth and she tried to shout a warning. Unfortunately she was too late. Rainbow Dash ate the cupcake whole and swallowed it down.

"Rainbow are you okay?" Twilight Sparkle asked her friend urgently.

"Course I am." the pegasus replied. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because Pinkie Pie grabbed the wrong bottle." the unicorn said. She launched into an explanation about how she was researching a potion that she had made and that Pinkie Pie had grabbed it instead of her secret ingredient.

"What should I do?" Rainbow Dash asked in a concerned tone.

Twilight Sparkle took her time to respond.

"I'd say just try to have a normal day." she said. "Let me know if you feel different."

Rainbow Dash nodded and walked out of SugarCube Corner. Twilight Sparkle turned to Pinkie Pie, who had a sad expression on her face.

"Pinkie." Twilight Sparkle whispered. "This is not your fault. Do you have any more of the potion you grabbed?"

Pinkie Pie nodded and handed the bottle to Twilight Sparkle. Roughly half of the original potion remained in the bottle.

"Pinkie I'm sorry but you need to get rid of that frosting." Twilight Sparkle said. "We can't let anypony eat that."

The duo then disposed of the frosting so that nopony would experience whatever Rainbow Dash was about to go through. Then they walked back to Twilight Sparkle's treehouse where Pinkie Pie grabbed the right bottle and made up a new batch of frosting.

Throughout the day Rainbow Dash tried to act as she normally would. The potion wasn't doing anything yet but she couldn't be sure. Night came and then the pegasus went back to her cloud castle for some sleep. Unfortunately for her, she was not going to have a peaceful sleep that night.

Rainbow Dash's nightmare began rather well. At first she was a hero. She had a fan club that felt that she was the most awesome pony ever. She had saved a filly that had fallen down a well. The townsponies praised her for her heroism. She had stopped a runaway baby carriage from falling off of a cliff. A platform that was holding a party had broken away from the house that it was attached to. Rainbow Dash saved the ponies on board from injury by slowing the platform down and gently lowering it to the ground. She had done so many amazing things for the town. Many ponies were even asking for autographs. However nightmares aren't called nightmares for no reason. Soon enough a pony known as the Mysterious Mare Do Well began to show her up.

Every time anypony was in danger, Rainbow Dash tried her best to help. A vehicle carrying a group of ponies had gone out of control. Rainbow Dash tried to help them but the Mysterious Mare Do Well used her hind legs to stop the carriage.

A dam had been about to burst and Rainbow Dash tried to plug it but it burst anyway. The Mysterious Mare Do Well then used magic to block up the dam and save Ponyville. Then she even had the nerve to do a fly by afterwards.

A construction site had an unfortunate accident and the Mysterious Mare Do Well showed up again. She had bounded all over the place saving almost all of the workers by herself. Rainbow Dash had only managed to save one of the workers and the pony didn't even thank her.

Rainbow Dash tossed and turned as her nightmare only got worse.

Nopony cared anymore that she had been a hero to them. Rainbow Dash quickly faded from their minds as they now preferred the Mysterious Mare Do Well. Rainbow Dash had tried to prove that she was still awesome but nopony paid her any attention.

Rainbow Dash started doing extremely mundane tasks in an attempt to earn praise. She tried to help Granny Smith cross the street but instead of thanking the pegasus, the old mare smacked Rainbow Dash with her purse. She tried to help a unicorn open a jar but nopony cared. Out of desperation, Rainbow Dash mowed a lawn in an attempt to gain some recognition but she was unsuccessful. Rainbow Dash was thoroughly miserable.

That was when the light blue pegasus woke with a start. Rainbow Dash instantly sat up in her bed. Her mind was racing out of control. Her heart was pounding at over a hundred miles an hour. Her face was dripping in sweat and she was breathing as fast as if she had just flown all around Equestria.

Rainbow Dash got out of her bed and walked into the bathroom. She was alone in the house. Well almost. She did have a new friend. Rainbow Dash walked past her pet tortoise Tank as he floated with his helicopter in his sleep. The pegasus entered the bathroom and filled a glass with cold water. Then she splashed the cold water all over her face. She needed to calm down.

_Is this all because of that potion?_ Rainbow Dash wondered. _I should definitely tell Twilight about this._

Rainbow Dash tried to go back to sleep but her nightmare still haunted her.

The next day Rainbow Dash woke up and she instantly walked over to Twilight Sparkle's treehouse. The pegasus had told Twilight Sparkle that she needed to talk to her and the unicorn understood.

Rainbow Dash laid down on Twilight Sparkle's couch as the purple unicorn sat down next to her with a quill and a clipboard. She had a pair of glasses on her face and she was staring at Rainbow Dash intently.

The pegasus launched into explanation about her nightmare from the previous night. She told Twilight Sparkle everything that she remembered down to the tiniest detail. Twilight Sparkle nodded and made some notes but she remained silent until Rainbow Dash finished her story.

"Do you think that potion gave me that nightmare?" Rainbow Dash asked her friend urgently.

Twilight Sparkle looked uncertain as she replied.

"I don't know Rainbow." she said. "I'm still trying to figure out what that potion is. Hopefully by now it should be out of your system."

"So that nightmare was a one time thing?" Rainbow Dash asked hopefully.

"In all likelihood yes." Twilight Sparkle replied. "But if it happens again please let me know okay?"

Rainbow Dash nodded in response and left her friend's home. Twilight Sparkle watched her go and then she turned her attention back to the potion.

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was determined to have a perfectly normal nightmare free day. She did her job of controlling the weather and then she took to the skies to clear her head. Flying always did help her when she was having a tough day. For Rainbow Dash, flying was somewhat of a stress release and she was feeling a lot of stress from the previous night's dream.

When nighttime came, Rainbow Dash went back to her cloud castle and laid down for some much needed peaceful sleep. Unfortunately for her, her rest was going to be just as uneasy as the previous night's.

Rainbow Dash had another nightmare that night. It wasn't the same as the one from before. Rather it seemed like a continuation of the previous night's dream. However, unlike her previous nightmare, this one seemed rather blurry. It was like Rainbow Dash was looking at the event through a window that needed a good cleaning. She could make out the general picture but not the details.

Rainbow Dash's second nightmare started with the pegasus brooding on a storm cloud. She was all by herself and she was miserable. She was angry that the townsponies had forgotten her so quickly over the much preferred Mare Do Well. Scootaloo then walked by and invited Rainbow Dash to a party in the Mare Do Well's honor. At first Rainbow Dash refused but then she got an idea.

The pegasus showed up to the party and confronted the Mysterious Mare Do Well. She chased the pony she hated all throughout Ponyville before she finally tackled her to the ground. Rainbow Dash pulled off the Mare Do Well's mask and to her astonishment she saw the face of Pinkie Pie.

The surprises didn't end there as soon enough two more Mare Do Wells came. They revealed themselves to be Applejack and Twilight Sparkle. Then Fluttershy and Rarity joined the group and the five ponies began to lecture Rainbow Dash about the importance of humility.

Rainbow Dash woke up from her nightmare feeling just as stressed out as she did last night.

_Would my friends really betray me like that?_ she wondered. _Nah it's just a nightmare. Nightmares never come true. Still I should let Twilight know about this._

The next day Rainbow Dash went back to Twilight Sparkle's treehouse and explained her nightmare to the unicorn.

"So you say that your nightmare looked blurry?" Twilight Sparkle asked.

"Yeah." Rainbow Dash replied. "I saw the first nightmare clearly but this one looked really weird." she paused for a moment before she asked a question. "What's going on?"

"Rainbow I think your mind has subconsciously constructed the events of your previous nightmare into this one." Twilight Sparkle said seriously.

"Umm translation please?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Your imagination finished your nightmare from last night." Twilight Sparkle explained. "It's like if I gave you half of a book and told you to write the ending."

"Do you think these nightmares are real?" Rainbow Dash asked her friend.

"I doubt it." Twilight Sparkle answered. "By now that potion has definitely run its course. Just try to put the nightmares from your mind."

"All right Twi I will." Rainbow Dash said. "Jeez I'm an idiot for getting so worked up about this. Like you guys would try to humiliate me like that."

Rainbow Dash walked out of Twilight Sparkle's treehouse while shaking her rainbow maned head at what she felt was her own stupidity. Her friends would never humiliate her like that.


	2. Chapter 2: The Nightmare Begins

**Chapter 2: The Nightmare Begins**

Many months after this incident, both Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle had forgotten about the pegasus' nightmare completely. Rainbow Dash had stopped asking Twilight Sparkle about the potion because she had something much more important on her mind. And that was spending time with her friends as well as her best friend Gilda the griffon.

Rainbow Dash grinned whenever she was around Gilda. While she liked Twilight Sparkle and the other ponies very much, none of them could compare to Gilda. There wasn't any romance between the two but somehow Rainbow Dash felt so much closer to Gilda than she did to any of the ponies that she had met. When she was around Twilight Sparkle or Applejack or any of the other ponies, Rainbow Dash always felt like she needed to swallow her pride to get them to keep liking her. However Gilda was much different than the rest of her friends.

Rainbow Dash felt that she could just be, well, Rainbow Dash whenever she was around the griffon. She let herself be as proud as she wanted to be because she knew that Gilda would never look down on her for it. Rainbow Dash knew that the griffon wouldn't try to change who the pegasus was or break off their friendship just because she might have had more pride than most ponies. This was a welcome change of pace for the pegasus since she hadn't felt this way about anypony aside from her one time friend Lightning Dust.

Rainbow Dash fought back her tears. She was _not _going to think of Lightning Dust. The memories of the daredevil pony were painful enough for the pegasus. She didn't want to relive them during a good day.

Rainbow Dash put her former friend from her thoughts as she raced around the skies with her best friend. After a quick race which Rainbow Dash won, she chatted with her friend.

"So G." she began. "Who was that pony you were talking to at the party?"

Gilda knew what Rainbow Dash was talking about. Recently Gilda had met a pony at her job teaching ponies how to defend themselves. The duo got along extremely well and the griffon thought that if the pony were to meet Rainbow Dash, they'd hit it off instantly. However, her friend had begged Gilda to keep her identity a secret. Apparently she didn't have the best reputation in Equestria and Ponyville was the last place that she should be living in. The only reason the pony lived in Ponyville was for financial issues. She couldn't afford to live in any other town so she was stuck with the worst possible choice of a hometown.

It wasn't like Ponyville was a bad place to live. The only complaints that Gilda had were that the restaurants didn't serve any meat and that there was next to no nightlife anywhere in the town. While her friends had treated her to a breakfast and dinner that included meat, they had admitted that it was a one time thing. The owners of the restaurant owed them a few favors so they used them as part of 'Gilda Appreciation Day' and they said that it was very unlikely that Ponyville would serve meat to its citizens. As for nightlife, well most ponies seemed shocked that anyone could like hearing loud music and cheering in the middle of the night. No, Ponyville was usually peaceful and silent when the sun was down.

The residents themselves weren't bad either. All of the ponies in Ponyville were extremely nice. However Gilda's friend was certain that they'd hate her and might possibly try to run her out of town. Gilda knew why her friend felt this way even though she didn't agree. Nopony ever mentioned her friend by name or reputation so Gilda was rather certain that she would be safe in public.

"Oh she's just a friend." Gilda replied. "We work together at the gym. She's pretty cool."

"Not as cool as me I bet." Rainbow Dash said with a grin.

"Nah but she's still cool." Gilda said.

"When do I get to meet her?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Sorry Dash can't do that." Gilda replied. "She's a loner. She talks to me but that's about it."

The pegasus nodded in response. She wasn't going to press the issue. Maybe one day she'd meet Gilda's friend. The duo continued to fly and perform awesome stunts when all of a sudden a scream pierced the air.

Rainbow Dash flew to the source of the noise and saw that a filly had fallen down a well. Wasting no time, she instantly dove in, grabbed the filly, and flew out. A crowd of ponies had gathered around the well and they applauded as Rainbow Dash lowered the grateful filly to the ground. Rainbow Dash showed off a bit before she flew back to the skies to continue hanging out with Gilda.

Later during the day, Rainbow Dash's flying was interrupted again. A baby carriage had gone out of control and was heading for a cliff. Rainbow Dash sprang into action and stopped the carriage just in time. Many ponies applauded and Rainbow Dash showed off a bit more before she headed back to the skies.

After her flying was over, Rainbow Dash walked around Ponyville and saw yet another disaster. A group of ponies had gotten together on a small balcony. Unfortunately the balcony had broken away from the rest of the building and it was plummeting straight to the ground! Rainbow Dash instantly flew underneath it and caught it. Then she lowered it down to the ground much to the approval of the townsponies. Rainbow Dash signed autographs for a bunch of awestruck fillies before she took off.

Later in the day, Rainbow Dash gave an interview about her heroism. She bragged a bit but nopony seemed to mind. Rainbow Dash had never felt so proud in her life. These ponies were really looking up to her. She even had her own fan club. After the interview was over she flew back to her house and talked to Gilda.

"Can you believe it G?" she asked. "I'm a hero! I have a fan club! This is AWESOME!"

"I'm proud of ya Dash." Gilda replied honestly. "You deserve this. I haven't seen you this proud in a while."

"Thanks G." Rainbow Dash replied. "Good to know you don't think I'm arrogant or anything. I thought you'd hate me."

"I could never hate ya Dash." Gilda told her. "I think you deserve to have as much pride as you want. I'm just happy to see ya smiling."

Rainbow Dash hugged Gilda and the duo went to bed.

Meanwhile a group of ponies were also discussing Rainbow Dash's heroics. Unlike Rainbow Dash and Gilda however, they were not as pleased.

"We need to do something about this girls." Twilight Sparkle said to the group next to her.

"I agree Twilight." Fluttershy said timidly.

"Rainbow's been actin' uppity lately." Applejack agreed.

"If this keeps up she'll become another Trixie." Rarity exclaimed.

Twilight Sparkle frowned at the fashionista's remark but she held her tongue. It wouldn't do any good for her to try and defend Trixie. That would lead to awkward questions which might end up causing the others to realize that Trixie was living in Ponyville. Aside from the showmare herself, only three living souls knew that Trixie was in Ponyville: Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Gilda. The alicorn knew that she and Spike would keep silent. Gilda agreed to keep a secret and Twilight Sparkle knew that the griffon was being honest. What would Gilda gain by revealing Trixie's whereabouts?

"Which is why we need to put a stop to this now before it gets even more out of hoof." Twilight Sparkle said.

Then the five ponies huddled up and had a whispered discussion.


	3. Chapter 3: Mare Do Well

**Chapter 3: Mare Do Well**

Rainbow Dash woke up the next day feeling very proud of herself. She was Ponyville's hero. Ponies all over the town looked up to her. She had a fan club that had declared her the most awesome pony ever. Things were certainly going very well for the light blue pegasus.

Rainbow Dash walked out of her cloud castle and flew down towards the ground. She showed off her flying skills to the ponies around town that gazed at her admiringly. While some ponies might think that she was being arrogant, Rainbow Dash was doing something that she hadn't done in a long time: she was being herself.

Rainbow Dash grinned to herself as she strolled through town. She hadn't let herself show so much pride in such a long time. She had been swallowing most of her pride since her first few weeks of living in Ponyville. Nowadays it seemed like the ponies around town didn't mind her having a lot of pride. This was exactly what Rainbow Dash really needed in life. Little did she know that everything was about to spiral out of control.

All of a sudden a scream filled the air. Rainbow Dash flew to the source of the noise and saw a carriage heading towards a cliff. She sprang into action to help but she got knocked aside by the runaway vehicle. What happened next was astounding. A pony in a strange costume sprang into action and pushed the carriage back to safety with her hind legs.

The mayor gave the pony the title of 'The Mysterious Mare Do Well' much to the townsponies approval.

_But I'm supposed to be the hero._ Rainbow Dash thought sadly. _Well forget it. That Mare Do Well got lucky this time. Next time all those ponies will be cheering for me._

Rainbow Dash then noticed that a dam was about to burst. She plugged it effortlessly but when she pulled her hoof away to give herself a pat on the back, the dam burst open. Rainbow Dash was getting carried by the current and she was scared out of her mind. She grabbed on to a branch and noticed the Mysterious Mare Do Well. The Mare Do Well used magic to seal up the dam with rocks. Then she flew around in celebration and took off.

_You gotta be kidding me._ Rainbow Dash thought in frustration. _She's strong and she can do magic? What's next?_

Rainbow Dash noticed that a construction sight was suffering an accident. Metal and wood were flying everywhere and the workers were in the middle of it. Rainbow Dash grabbed hold of one of the worker ponies and carried him off. She rapidly dodged past all of the rubble that fell near her and delivered the worker to safety. Unfortunately the Mare Do Well upstaged her again. While Rainbow Dash had risked her life to save an innocent pony, the Mare Do Well saved the rest of the workers in the same amount of time somehow.

_This is really getting old._ Rainbow Dash thought angrily. _I'm the hero around here._

Rainbow Dash was being brushed off by the townsponies completely. They were totally ignoring her. They'd rather admire the Mysterious Mare Do Well instead.

Rainbow Dash then spent the rest of her day doing whatever she could to gain even the smallest amount of praise. She tried to help Granny Smith cross the street but the old mare was angry and said that she didn't even want to cross in the first place. Rainbow Dash tried to help a pony open a jar but that didn't work out either. She tried to earn some praise by mowing a lawn but the ponies ignored her. One of them even had the nerve to call her lame. That remark tore at Rainbow Dash's heart. She flew off back to her cloud castle and lay on her bed crying.

All of a sudden a knock on her bedroom door shook Rainbow Dash out of her misery.

"Dash?" Gilda's voice called out uncertainly. "You okay in there?"

Rainbow Dash stayed silent and hoped that Gilda would leave her alone. She liked the griffon but she didn't want her best friend to think that she was weak. Unfortunately she wasn't going to have a say in the matter. Gilda took her silence as bad news and she opened the door and entered.

"Dash what's wrong?" she asked in a concerned tone as she flew over to Rainbow Dash, sat on her bed, and placed a comforting foreleg around her.

Rainbow Dash sniffled and told Gilda about her day. The griffon was shocked to hear why Rainbow Dash was so miserable and she looked very thoughtful for a moment.

"Well Dash I know what ya need." she said.

Rainbow Dash gave the griffon a questioning look as she continued.

"I think we need to beat the Mare Do Well at her own game." Gilda said mischievously.

Gilda whispered a plan into Rainbow Dash's ear which caused the pegasus to grin broadly.

"Hey Gilda I think I figured out why I call you 'G'." she said.

"And why's that?" Gilda asked playfully.

"Because G stands for GENIUS!" Rainbow Dash answered. "This plan is awesome!"

"Glad to hear that Dash." Gilda said. "Ya better get some rest if we're gonna get going on it tomorrow."

Rainbow Dash hugged her best friend tightly and went to sleep. She didn't have any nightmares. Instead she fell into a very peaceful sleep. Tomorrow they would show that Mysterious Mare Do Well what happened to a pony that tried to make Rainbow Dash look bad.


	4. Chapter 4: A Helping Claw

**Chapter 4: A Helping Claw**

The next day Rainbow Dash woke up with a grin on her face. She and Gilda had devised the perfect plan to outwit the Mysterious Mare Do Well. There was no way that this plan could go wrong. Rainbow Dash got out of bed, ate a light breakfast, and walked out the door. Her first stop was Carousel Boutique.

"Hey Rarity." Rainbow Dash called out cheerfully.

"Rainbow Dash!" Rarity greeted eagerly. "What a surprise. To what do I owe this pleasure?"

"Do you have a costume I can buy for a friend of mine?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"A costume?" Rarity inquired. "What kind?"

"Nothing too fancy." Rainbow Dash said. "All I need is a pony costume. A large one."

"What color would you prefer dear?" Rarity asked.

"Let's go with white." Rainbow Dash answered. "My friend will figure out what she wants to do with it by herself. She wants to get a head start on her Nightmare Night costume."

Rarity let out a squeal of excitement. She rushed into the backroom and came back with the costume that Rainbow Dash had asked for. The unicorn insisted that this costume would be the perfect size for a large pony.

_Or a griffon._ Rainbow Dash thought mischievously. "I'll take it." she said out loud. "How much?"

Rarity rang up her purchase and Rainbow Dash paid for the costume. Then she left the boutique with a grin on her face. Next stop: Twilight Sparkle's castle.

"Hey Twilight you got any spare ink I can use?" Rainbow Dash asked her alicorn friend when she entered her castle.

"I think I have a spare bottle I don't need." the alicorn responded. "Will black ink be all right?"

"That would be perfect." Rainbow Dash replied.

Twilight Sparkle handed over the black ink and Rainbow Dash was on her way. Next stop was Pinkie Pie's place.

'Hey Pinkie." Rainbow Dash called out. "Ya got any fake manes lying around?"

"Lying around?" Pinkie Pie repeated. "No not really. I do have some in a box. Wanna see 'em?"

"That's what I meant." Rainbow Dash replied.

"Well then why didn't you say so silly?" Pinkie Pie asked. She hopped into another room and came back with a large box that was filled with fake manes. Rainbow Dash grabbed a fairly long lime green mane as well as a shorter mane of the same color and thanked Pinkie Pie. Then she headed off to her cloud home.

When Rainbow Dash entered her castle, she saw Gilda waiting for her just like they had planned. The rainbow maned pegasus helped Gilda put on the pony costume and it fit the griffon perfectly. Thankfully Gilda had thought to wear her brown elastic wing restraint so that the costume would fit easier. Next Rainbow Dash glued the fake mane on top of the griffon's head just right. She then took the longer mane and cut it to the just the right size and shape and glued it on the spot where Gilda's tail would be. Finally Rainbow Dash dipped a paintbrush into the bottle of black ink and very carefully drew a cutie mark on Gilda's flanks. The cutie mark consisted of three bold black question marks. It wasn't anything special but it would do.

"So Dash how do I look?" Gilda asked.

"Who are you? Why do you sound like Gilda? And just how are you standing on clouds without wings or magic?" Rainbow Dash asked in a teasing tone.

"That good huh?" Gilda asked.

"Yep." Rainbow Dash replied. "Nopony will recognize ya G."

"Mare Do Well won't know what hit her." Gilda replied enthusiastically.

"You got that right." Rainbow Dash agreed,

The duo strolled through town and were on the lookout for anypony in danger. Suddenly a scream pierced the silent air. A pony was holding on to the edge of a cliff for dear life. Rainbow Dash and Gilda looked at each other and they nodded. Rainbow Dash flew off to help the pony while Gilda kept her eyes peeled for the Mysterious Mare Do Well.

All of a sudden Gilda saw the Mare Do Well. She was charging up a spell to save the pony. Gilda knew that Rainbow Dash was able to save the mare, so she ran towards the Mare Do Well and then she intentionally fell over. She laid on the ground and whimpered in pain. Her noises of agony distracted the Mare Do Well's attention as she rushed over towards the disguised griffon. She checked Gilda's leg and nodded as if to confirm that the 'pony' was all right. She gazed back to the spot where the mare was hanging from the cliff only to find that she was no longer there. Instead the pony was riding on Rainbow Dash's back.

"Look! The Mare Do Well did it again!" a townspony yelled.

"That's not the Mare Do Well!" another pony shouted.

"That's Rainbow Dash! She saved that pony's life!" a third pony screamed.

Rainbow Dash landed in front of the rapidly growing crowd of ponies. She gently placed the pony that she had saved back down on the ground. She grinned as the townsponies showered her with praise. Gilda meanwhile was grinning too. She was happy that Rainbow Dash was getting some of her old pride back. She was also happy that nopony could see her facial expression. The Mare Do Well mysteriously disappeared and Gilda didn't care where she went.

Rainbow Dash walked through the town with Gilda fairly close behind her. Gilda was keeping her distance so that nopony would think that she was working with Rainbow Dash but at the same time she was close enough that she could help her friend if she needed to.

Then another scream filled Rainbow Dash's ears. She flew off towards the source of the commotion with Gilda hot on her hooves. A filly was holding on to a tree branch that was hanging over a lake.

"Help me!" he cried. "I can't swim!"

Rainbow Dash flew to the young colt's aid while Gilda did her part. She saw the Mysterious Mare Do Well running towards the filly and she knew that she had no choice. Gilda leaped in front of the Mare Do Well and was flung aside as she hit the griffon with tremendous force. The Mare Do Well staggered off to the side as Gilda hit the ground. It was like a brick wall had slammed into her at two hundred miles an hour. The Mare Do Well got up and tried to help the filly but it was too late. Rainbow Dash had already saved the young pony's life.

"Look Rainbow Dash did it again!" a pony yelled.

Instantly a swarm of ponies gathered around Rainbow Dash. They praised her for her heroic deed and she showed off a bit of her fast flying. Gilda grinned as she watched her best friend express her happiness. The whole day continued like this. A pony would be in danger, Mare Do Well would try to help, but Gilda would distract her giving Rainbow Dash the chance to be a hero. Celestia's sun started to set and then Gilda and Rainbow Dash headed back to the pegasus' cloud castle. Rainbow Dash flew up to the door and then she threw down a rope ladder and allowed Gilda to climb up. The two friends were unaware that they were being watched.

Rainbow Dash helped Gilda out of the pony costume as she described her actions.

"And when I grabbed that filly from that branch did you see his face?" the rainbow maned pegasus exclaimed in a very excited tone. "He was admiring me."

"That Mare Do Well packs a punch though." Gilda said. "I'm gonna be feeling that tackle for a while."

"You're not hurt are ya G?" Rainbow Dash asked in a concerned tone. "I wanna be a hero but I don't want you getting hurt just for me."

"It's cool Dash." Gilda replied. "I'd go through a lot more for ya. That's what best friends do. Besides do you really think that the Mare Do Well can handle THIS?" Having finally taken off the costume, Gilda sprang to her hind legs and flexed her forelegs to show off her muscles.

Rainbow Dash grinned at her best friend and then she waved her forelegs around frantically as if she was trying to ward off an attacker.

"Watch out we've got a bad flank over here!" she said in a joking tone.

Gilda laughed at Rainbow Dash's remark and the pegasus laughed with her. They were laughing so much that they didn't hear the fluttering of wings as a pony flew away from their house.

Meanwhile Twilight Sparkle walked into SugarCube Corner. The bakery was closed at this hour so she knew that they weren't going to be disturbed. The purple alicorn sat down at the table with her three close friends Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy was absent but Twilight Sparkle felt that that was best for the yellow pegasus. Fluttershy had felt guilty enough about being part of the Mare Do Well plan and Twilight Sparkle knew that the plan that she was going to come up with was something that her timid friend would not want to be a part of.

"All right girls." the alicorn said. "We know why we're here."

"Ah guess Mare Do Well ain't gonna work?" Applejack asked.

"Not with that mysterious white pony that's constantly interfering with us." Rarity said.

"Who do you think it is?" Pinkie Pie asked eagerly.

"That white pony isn't a pony." Twilight Sparkle said. "It's Gilda."

"Ah shoulda known." Applejack said while shaking her orange head.

"Why can't we just tell her to let Mare Do Well save the ponies?" Rarity asked.

"Because Gilda is Rainbow's friend." Twilight Sparkle said. "She would think that we'd be happy for Rainbow getting all this praise. If we confronted her she'd find out that we're Mare Do Well and there's no telling how she'll react."

"So what do we do?" Pinkie Pie asked.

"I have an idea." Twilight Sparkle said. "I just hope it works."

She whispered her plan to the other ponies and they all had frowns on their faces after she was finished.

"Ah don't like this plan at all." Applejack said.

Rarity and Pinkie Pie shook their heads as well. They were not fond of Twilight Sparkle's plan.

"I know but it's this or let Rainbow be a braggart her whole life." the alicorn said.

The other ponies reluctantly agreed. They didn't care for the plan in the slightest but they desperately needed to teach Rainbow Dash a lesson in humility before the pegasus got any more arrogant.


	5. Chapter 5: A Prank Gone Wrong

**Chapter 5: A Prank Gone Wrong**

The next day arrived and Gilda woke up earlier than Rainbow Dash. Normally she would make breakfast for the two of them but she felt the need to go outside and stretch her wings a bit. And that is exactly what Gilda did. The griffon flew down from Rainbow Dash's cloud castle and saw the Mysterious Mare Do Well walking along the streets. Gilda then decided to follow the Mare Do Well just in case she was up to something.

The Mare Do Well stopped walking and she turned to face Gilda.

"I guess this is good bye." she said in a voice that Gilda didn't recognize.

"You're leaving?" Gilda asked.

"I'm afraid so." The Mare Do Well replied. "Ponyville no longer needs me since they have Rainbow Dash around."

The Mysterious Mare Do Well walked towards a cliff and flew off into the horizon. Gilda stared at her until she became a tiny speck in the distance and then the Mysterious Mare Do Well was finally gone. Grinning to herself, Gilda flew off back to Rainbow Dash's house. She charged into her best friend's room and shook the pegasus until she woke up.

"Dash wake up!" she said.

Rainbow Dash woke with a start.

"Jeez G what's so important that you need to shake me like this?" she asked in an annoyed tone.

"Mare Do Well's given up." Gilda explained quickly. "She just ditched town. We beat her Dash!"

"Seriously?" Rainbow Dash asked eagerly. "You're not messing with me are ya G?"

"No way." Gilda replied honestly. "Now come on get up. We're celebrating."

"I'm game for that." Rainbow Dash replied enthusiastically.

The pegasus jumped out of bed and the duo walked out of the house and towards a pub. Gilda had a good amount of bits to spend so she decided to treat herself and Rainbow Dash to a celebratory drink. Along the way they saw Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity standing together in a group.

"Hey guys what's up?" Rainbow Dash called out cheerfully.

"Wow Rainbow you're in a good mood today." Twilight Sparkle said.

"And she should be." Gilda replied. "Mare Do Well threw in the towel. Dash is the better hero."

"I sure showed her didn't I?" Rainbow Dash asked her friends eagerly.

"Yes you really did." Applejack replied.

"We're celebrating." Gilda told them. "Wanna come with?"

"Oh no thanks Gilda." Rarity answered, "I have a lot of work to do."

The other three ponies had similar responses to Rarity's but Gilda and Rainbow Dash paid them no mind.

"Ah well more fun for us." Rainbow Dash said. "Come on G let's go!"

"Right behind ya Dash!" Gilda replied.

The duo sped off towards their own little celebration while the four ponies glanced at each other.

Meanwhile, Gilda and Rainbow Dash arrived at a nearby pub. They sat down at their own table and Gilda ordered two glasses of the tastiest and most expensive non alcoholic cider that the pub had to offer.

"Wow you're feeling generous today G." Rainbow Dash said.

"Hey it's a drink worthy of a hero." Gilda replied.

The waiter came to the table with their drinks.

"Here's to Mare Do Well being gone." Rainbow Dash said.

"And to you being a hero." Gilda continued.

"And to you helping me." Rainbow Dash finished.

The duo clinked their glasses together and drank their cider down in one big gulp. When they both set down their empty glasses, Gilda decided to speak.

"I guess the Mare Do Well just didn't do well enough to get the best of us huh Dash?" she said in a playful tone.

If Rainbow Dash hadn't finished her drink, Gilda would have wound up with a face covered in cider.

"No way G." Rainbow Dash said with a grin on her face. "You didn't just make a pun did you?"

Gilda grinned and nodded. The two of them laughed and joked with each other until the waiter came to their table with the bill. Gilda paid for the drinks and left a very generous tip as the duo walked out of the pub.

The duo left the pub and walked through the streets, laughing and joking all the way. The Mysterious Mare Do Well was gone, Rainbow Dash was the town hero, and both of them were really happy. What could go wrong?

Little did they know that they'd have the answer to that question in a few short hours.

The sun had definitely risen now and many ponies had gotten up with it. They greeted Rainbow Dash with awe on their faces. Many fillies expressed a sincere desire to be just like her. Gilda was receiving a fair share of praise too. The fillies figured that any griffon that was best friends with Rainbow Dash was undeniably awesome. Gilda blushed a bit and once again she was thankful that her feathers did a good job of hiding it. Rainbow Dash looked like she had just been announced as ruler of Equestria and leader of the Wonderbolts at the same time. She was smiling so much that Gilda joked that her face would freeze that way. The two friends were feeling very satisfied with themselves and with life. All of a sudden Scootaloo came running up to Rainbow Dash. She was wearing a wig that was styled just like Rainbow Dash's mane.

"Rainbow Dash there's gonna be a party for ya at SugarCube Corner today. You coming?" the filly asked excitedly.

"You know it Scoots." Rainbow Dash replied. "What time?"

"In four hours." Scootaloo replied. With that she zoomed off on her merry way.

"Okay this is officially an awesome day." Rainbow Dash said. "I'm a hero, I've got fans, and now there's a party being thrown for me. This day can't get any better than this."

The duo flew through the skies for a couple hours before they decided to head off towards the party.

If only they knew what awaited them.

SugarCube Corner had been decked out with balloons, streamers, banners, and many other decorations. It looked like the entire town had showed up for the party. There were tables covered in cakes, cookies, cupcakes, drinks, and other foods. Everypony instantly stopped talking when Rainbow Dash and Gilda walked in.

"Rainbow Dash!" they all shouted in unison. The ponies that were drinking raised their glasses in welcome. Rainbow Dash was feeling like she was on top of the world.

The two friends mingled with the other ponies for a while before a microphone was turned on. Pinkie Pie greeted the guests and had announced that it was time for the Guest of Honor to walk on stage. Rainbow Dash walked up to the stage as Pinkie Pie picked up the microphone and walked away. The light blue pegasus gave everypony a look of cheer. She was so proud of herself for being the hero of the town and being so well liked. If only she had looked up above her, she would have seen what was coming.

All of a sudden a huge bucket of paint was poured down and it covered the stage and Rainbow Dash in a rainbow of colors. The crowd let out a stunned gasp as they saw Rainbow Dash standing on the stage covered in paint. After that, nearly everypony in the room broke out into gales of laughter. Rainbow Dash's eyes started to water and then she bolted out the doors faster than anypony had ever seen her run before.

Meanwhile in the crowd, Gilda was staring in shock at what had just happened. She looked at the empty bucket and saw a rope connected to it. She followed the rope until she reached the end of it and Gilda was both shocked and enraged at what she saw.

Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity were standing by the rope with looks of guilt on each of their faces. It was very likely that Rainbow Dash had seen the four of them so Gilda felt that the light blue pegasus knew what had just happened. Gilda glared at all four ponies and she tried to think of an insult that was big enough for what they had just done. None came to her so she settled on three words.

"How could you?" she asked in a hurt voice. Then she ran out of the bakery and after Rainbow Dash.


	6. Chapter 6: Comfort and Conflict

**Chapter 6: Comfort and Conflict**

Gilda found Rainbow Dash without much difficulty. The pegasus had left a trail of rainbow paint in her wake so it was very easy for Gilda to find her. When Gilda had found her best friend she was shocked at what she saw. Rainbow Dash was hunched up by herself and it looked like she had been crying.

"Dash." Gilda began quietly. "I'm sorry."

"Why did they do this to me?" Rainbow Dash asked in a hurt voice.

Gilda had no answer. _Looks like she knows they did it. _she thought. Instead of trying to answer the question, Gilda decided to help her friend in any way that she could.

"Come on Dash." she said. "Let's get that paint off ya."

The duo flew up to Rainbow Dash's cloud castle in the sky and Gilda gently washed all of the paint off of her best friend. It was lucky that the paint wasn't resistant to water. The griffon made sure that every single drop of paint was cleaned off. While Rainbow Dash would have just used a cloud to clean herself, Gilda didn't have that kind of ability. She gently scrubbed every last bit of paint away and she even took care of Rainbow Dash's mane and tail. Most ponies would have seen that as pointless since Rainbow Dash's mane and tail were already rainbow colored. Gilda however wanted to do everything that she could for her friend. When she was certain that she had removed the last of the paint, Gilda grabbed a towel and gently dried her best friend off. As soon as Gilda was finished cleaning her off, Rainbow Dash sprinted off towards her room and shut the door.

Gilda debated about whether or not she should follow her friend. Rainbow Dash might want to be alone for now but what if she needed the comfort of a friend? Gilda decided to take a risk and she followed the pegasus to her room. She knocked on the door and waited. No answer came so she knocked a bit louder. Rainbow Dash quietly told Gilda that she could come in so the griffon entered. Gilda's eyes widened as she looked at her miserable best friend.

Gilda had seen Rainbow Dash sad before. She had seen her best friend look unhappy. She had even seen her cry once or twice. But nothing compared to this level of misery except for one incident from years ago. Rainbow Dash looked thoroughly depressed in every sense of the word. It was like she had become the physical embodiment of the word misery. Gilda knew that it would take quite a bit of time and effort before the pegasus would be anything remotely like her old self again. Gilda sat down on the pegasus' bed and wrapped a foreleg around her best friend.

"Dash." she whispered. "I'm so sorry."

Rainbow Dash finally gave in and broke down. The light blue pegasus wrapped her forelegs around Gilda's neck. She buried her face into Gilda's chest and sobbed into the griffon's feathers. Gilda could hear the pegasus saying things like "How could they?" "I thought they were my friends." "Why did they do this to me?" over and over again. Gilda had no answers to the pegasus' questions. Gilda just held Rainbow Dash in her forelegs and did everything that she could do to comfort her. All the griffon could do was hold her best friend as she cried herself to sleep. When Rainbow Dash finally fell asleep, Gilda did something that she had never ever done before. She leaned her white feathered head up close to Rainbow Dash's head and gently pecked her on the cheek. It was the closest thing to a kiss that griffons like Gilda could do. Beaks weren't exactly made for kissing after all.

"Good night Dashie." Gilda whispered softly. She hadn't used that pet name since the day when Rainbow Dash invited her to live at the cloud castle. That day was about three weeks ago.

Gilda didn't have any romantic feelings towards Rainbow Dash. She saw the light blue pegasus as a little sister in a way even though they were roughly the same age. Gilda had always felt very protective over Rainbow Dash and she always made sure that nopony ever tried to mess with her. Whenever Rainbow Dash was threatened, Gilda protected her. Whenever Rainbow Dash was sad, Gilda did what she could do to comfort her. Gilda was always right there for Rainbow Dash. As the pegasus fell asleep, Gilda tried to get out of the bed and go to her own room but Rainbow Dash was holding her in a tight grip. The pegasus could be very strong at times. Gilda laid down on the cloud bed and slept next to Rainbow Dash throughout the night.

When the sun rose into the sky the next day, Gilda woke up and stared at Rainbow Dash. The pegasus' face was still wet with her tears from the previous night. Despite her misery from the previous night, Rainbow Dash was sleeping peacefully. However, Gilda knew that Rainbow Dash's state of bliss would end when the pegasus opened her eyes. Thankfully Rainbow Dash's grip had loosened up overnight so Gilda could get out of bed if she needed to.

_I'm gonna have to help her. _Gilda thought to herself as she remembered how depressed Rainbow Dash was last night. _But I can't do this alone. _The griffon put her claw under her chin and thought hard. _I think it's time Rainbow Dash met my new friend. _she decided.

Gilda got out of her best friend's bed and left the cloud castle after giving the sleeping pegasus another peck on the cheek. She flew down towards the streets and ignored the ponies who laughed about last night's prank. Gilda was furious that they were laughing at her best friend who had cried herself to sleep the previous night because she had been betrayed and humiliated by four of her closest friends. Instead of focusing on her anger, Gilda focused on finding her way to the gym. When she arrived, she saw a notice pinned to the door.

_To all members and employees,_

_I am sorry to say that the gym shall be closed for the entire week for renovations to the lighting and plumbing. We shall be open on this day next week at our normal hours. I apologize for the inconvenience._

_-The Manager_

Gilda smiled a bit. She enjoyed her job very much and while she was sad that she wasn't going to have work for the week, she knew that this couldn't have happened at a better time. This gave her some much needed free time to help Rainbow Dash out of her misery.

_Course I still need to find _her_ before I can help Dash. _Gilda thought to herself._ If anypony can help Dash it's her._

The griffon walked through the streets and into a grocery store. She knew what Rainbow Dash's favorite breakfast was and she decided that her best friend could definitely use something like that on a day like this. The ingredients weren't cheap but Gilda still paid for them. She walked out of the store and saw her friend.

"Hey L!" Gilda greeted as she ran towards her friend. "Man am I glad to see you."

"Oh hey G." the pony replied. She was wearing a black cloak that covered her entire body and face. Her cutie mark was unable to be seen underneath the clothing that she was wearing but that was how she wanted it to be. She had her hood pulled up so that her mane was invisible to anypony that looked at her. She did not want to be recognized.

Gilda was about to speak but L cut her off.

"I heard what happened to Dash." she said. "I can't believe that her friends would do that to her."

"Yeah I know." Gilda replied. "Look L I need your help with this. Dash isn't doing so great and I need to get her back to being Dash and I can't do that by myself. I need you on this one."

"Are you kidding me G?" L asked. "Dash hates me! I can't help her!"

"I can't do this alone." Gilda repeated. "I need you. Dash needs you. You want her to forgive you right?"

"Well yeah I do but I don't deserve it." L replied. "You know what I've done."

"And you can start making up for it by helping her." Gilda insisted. "Dash forgave me before and I know that she can forgive you too."

L was silent for a moment then she nodded in agreement and Gilda told her to take over Rainbow Dash's weather controlling job for the week.

"Dash has enough on her plate without worrying about her job." Gilda said.

The duo flew off to meet with Rainbow Dash's boss and Gilda had stated that Rainbow Dash had sprained her wing and that she wouldn't be able to go flying for a week. It was a bold lie but it was necessary. L was promptly hired for a temporary position in Rainbow Dash's place. After that was settled, Gilda flew back to Rainbow Dash's house, leaving L to start her first day of her new temporary job.

Gilda entered the cloud castle and began making breakfast. She was making absolute sure that everything about this breakfast was perfect. The sweetened hay fries were cooked to perfection and were covered with syrup, whipped cream, and chocolate chips. Gilda placed a cherry on top and she heard movement from Rainbow Dash's room. The pegasus entered the kitchen and her jaw dropped in shock.

"G." she began. "Did you do this for me?"

"I sure did Dash." Gilda replied. "I thought that you needed a pick me up."

"Wow thanks G." Rainbow Dash whispered.

The pegasus sat down at the table and ate her breakfast eagerly. She had once told Gilda that this was her favorite way of eating hay fries for breakfast. In fact this was her favorite thing in the whole wide world of Equestria to eat for breakfast. She savored every single bite of the meal that Gilda had prepared for her. When Rainbow Dash finished her breakfast, Gilda took the plate away and washed it up for her. Then Gilda started doing everything that she could to make Rainbow Dash as comfortable as possible.

"Thanks for the breakfast G but I'd better get to work." Rainbow Dash said.

"I've taken care of that Dash." Gilda replied. "The gym's closed for the week so I had my friend fill in for ya."

Gilda explained the situation of L's employment and Rainbow Dash smiled a bit.

"I guess I do need a bit of a break." Rainbow Dash admitted.

All of a sudden Gilda started rubbing Rainbow Dash's back. The griffon massaged Rainbow Dash's back, neck, forelegs, and hind legs. Rainbow Dash was confused by Gilda's actions, but she allowed the griffon to continue her work. Rainbow Dash relaxed a bit as Gilda's talons worked their way around the pegasus' limbs and body. Gilda really knew a thing or two about giving massages. Rainbow Dash enjoyed the comfort that her best friend was giving her. The griffon began to massage Rainbow Dash's wings which the pegasus greatly appreciated. Whenever anypony had offered her a wing massage, Rainbow Dash refused. The last time she tried that, her wings were very sore for a week. Gilda however knew much more about how to massage a pair of wings than most earth ponies did. When the griffon massaged a particularly sensitive spot on her wings, Rainbow Dash let out an involuntary light moan of pleasure. The pegasus' reaction caused both of them to blush heavily but Gilda still continued her work.

"Wow G, I didn't know you were so great at giving massages." Rainbow Dash said in surprise.

"I just wanna make sure that you're comfortable Dash." Gilda replied. "I know that you had a rough day yesterday so I'm gonna do everything I can to help you."

It felt good for Rainbow Dash to be comforted like this. This was a side of Gilda that she had never seen in her life. Granted the griffon cared deeply for the pegasus, but never before had she seemed so affectionate. This was a new experience for Rainbow Dash and she was enjoying it immensely. Gilda meanwhile was running her claws through Rainbow Dash's mane. The pegasus admired Gilda's ability to make her claws no longer feel sharp. The griffon's claws felt less like claws and more like miniature hooves as they worked their way through Rainbow Dash's mane. The light blue pegasus realized what was happening. Gilda was _petting _her. Rainbow Dash enjoyed every second of Gilda's affection. A sudden knock on the door shook both of them out of their peaceful state. Gilda got up and she was able to figure out that the guests were Twilight Sparkle and the other ponies.

"Dash if you don't wanna talk to them you don't have to." Gilda said. She knew that seeing her 'friends' so soon after their betrayal would not be good for the pegasus. Rainbow Dash didn't argue with Gilda. Instead she left the main room and headed off into her bedroom. Gilda waited for a moment before she opened the door and was face to face with four very guilty looking ponies.

"What do you want?" Gilda growled. She wasn't pleased to see the four ponies standing in front of her and she knew that she wasn't going to be able to stay calm for very long. Gilda knew that Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie probably had a cloud-walk spell put on them so that they could be here too.

"We want to apologize to Rainbow Dash." Twilight Sparkle began.

"We mighta went too far but she was gettin' too full of herself." Applejack continued.

"We didn't want her to become a braggart." Rarity added.

"Then she would have been like that Meany McMeanPants Trixie." Pinkie Pie finished.

"Do you even realize what you put her through?" Gilda asked in a low growl. "I'm not letting you anywhere near her."

"We have to apologize to her." Twilight Sparkle insisted.

"Well you're gonna have to wait." Gilda snapped. "She spent all last night crying her eyes out and wondering why four of her closest friends would stab her in the back like that."

"Gilda we know you're angry with us and you have every right to be." Rarity said.

"That's why if ya wanna yell at us, insult us, or hit us we won't stop ya." Applejack said.

"Just don't hurt Fluttershy." Pinkie Pie pleaded. "She didn't do anything. Honest. Cross my heart hope to fly stick a cupcake in my eye."

"Hmph well at least you have some decency left." Gilda muttered. "I know that Fluttershy wouldn't hurt Dash like that because she's got more loyalty to her friend than the four of you combined."

Gilda glared at all four ponies that stood before her. They had given her permission to say whatever she felt like and she was going to do just that.

"You're lucky you used to be her friends." Gilda growled. "If you were anyone else I'd have punched all of you right off this cloud. I'm disgusted with all of you."

Gilda turned her angry eyes on to the unicorn that stood before her.

"Rarity." she began. "Miss 'Element of Generosity'. Well it was very _generous _of you to not make Rainbow Dash pay for the paint that you dumped on her."

The fashionista stayed silent and Gilda turned her attention to Applejack next.

"Applejack." she growled. "The 'Element of Honesty'. Can you _honestly_ tell me that Rainbow Dash deserved to be humiliated like this? Can you _honestly_ say that this was worth it?"

Applejack was speechless as Gilda focused on Twilight Sparkle.

"Twilight." she said. "The 'Princess of Friendship'. What about all those letters you wrote to Celestia? Were they all lies? Did they mean anything? I can't wait to read your next one. In fact I'll help you get started." She put on her best impression of Twilight Sparkle's voice as she continued. "Dear Princess Celestia, Today I learned that if I don't like how my friend acts I should just humiliate them and not care about what happens to them. Sincerely, Your Two Faced Backstabbing Student Twilight Sparkle."

Twilight Sparkle was at a loss for words as Gilda finally focused on Pinkie Pie.

"Pinkie." she said. Her voice was filled with anger and disappointment. Out of all four of the ponies that Gilda was facing, Pinkie Pie's betrayal stung the most. "Where do I begin with you? Dash really liked you. She thought you were a really great friend and a really cool pony. I felt the same way too. You helped me get her back. I used to think that you were one of the greatest ponies I've ever met. But now I don't even know you anymore. You betray Dash like this and for what? Because she got a little too proud?"

Pinkie Pie fought back her tears as Gilda addressed the whole group.

"You all thought that Dash was being arrogant." she growled. "Well guess what, she had every dang right to be proud. On that first day she saved seven lives. Seven ponies would have _died _that day if it wasn't for her. I think that gives her every right to brag. But you guys just couldn't let her have her pride could you? You had to make her look bad with that Mare Do Well stunt." The ponies' eyes widened as she said this. "That's right I know that was you. I helped Dash outsmart the Mare Do Well because she was miserable. She was being praised like a hero and you made this whole town think that she was lame and worthless! I'd rather have an arrogant Dash than a Dash that's too depressed to even get up in the morning."

The four ponies were shocked by the griffon's anger. They knew that Gilda would be mad but they never expected this. In a softer calmer tone Gilda continued.

"I'm not trying to keep you guys away from her." she said after taking a deep breath. "I want her to forgive you but it's way too soon. If you talked to her right now you'd do more harm than good." She gave them one last glare. "Now get out of here." Gilda growled and then she went back inside the cloud castle and slammed the door. The four ponies outside exchanged shocked looks and then they left the cloud castle behind them.

Meanwhile, Gilda was calming herself down. She had hoped that she hadn't hurt their feelings too much. She knew that this conflict was unavoidable but she still regretted having to tell off four of her and Dash's friends so brutally.

_At least it's over with. _Gilda thought to herself.

"It's okay Dash." she called out. "They're gone now."

Rainbow Dash walked out of her room and she hugged Gilda.

"Thanks G." she whispered. "I didn't want to have to deal with them today."

"It's cool Dash. I understand." Gilda replied. She returned Rainbow Dash's embrace with a gentle hug of her own.

"So G can I meet your friend?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I wanna thank her for doing my job for me."

"I'll see what I can do." Gilda replied. "No promises."

Rainbow Dash nodded and then she headed off to her room for a quick nap. Gilda meanwhile searched the streets for her friend. She saw L walking around town by herself and she approached the pony eagerly.

"Hey L." she greeted. "What's up?"

"Nothin' much G." L replied.

"Listen L." Gilda began. "Dash wants to meet you since you're helping her."

"Did you tell her I'm here?" L asked urgently.

"Relax L." Gilda said soothingly. "I didn't say your name. All Dash knows is that you're my friend."

"I don't know G." L replied uncertainly. "Do you think Dash'll forgive me?"

"I don't know L." Gilda replied. "But you'll never know if you don't talk to her."

The two friends were silent for a moment before L spoke up again.

"You're right Gilda." she said with a sigh. "I gotta stop being a coward. It's time for me to talk to her."

"So when do you wanna show up?" Gilda asked.

"How 'bout tomorrow?" L replied. "I got a bit of time before work."

"All right then." Gilda replied. "See ya L!"

"Later G!" L replied.

Gilda flew back to Rainbow Dash's cloud castle and told the pegasus that her friend would be showing up tomorrow morning. The duo ate a quick dinner and then they went to bed.  
><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Poor Rainbow Dash. She gets pranked and humiliated. But who's this L pony? You'll just have to wait and see.


	7. Chapter 7: An Unexpected Reunion

**Chapter 7: An Unexpected Reunion**

Rainbow Dash woke up the next day feeling a little better than she did before. Her humiliation still hurt her but Gilda was doing everything that she could to help. The light blue pegasus was also very eager to meet Gilda's friend. From what the griffon had told her, L was a pretty cool pony. It also didn't hurt that this pony was taking over the weather controlling job for Rainbow Dash for the rest of the week. Anypony that would help her so much when she was this miserable was a pony that Rainbow Dash wanted to meet. Rainbow Dash got out of her cloudy bed and ate a light breakfast with Gilda. The duo hardly spoke to each other as they ate. Rainbow Dash was eager to meet Gilda's friend and Gilda was nervous about how Rainbow Dash would react when she found out who her friend was.

Meanwhile in a rather small house in a quiet part of Ponyville, L was getting out of bed feeling incredibly nervous. She ate her own breakfast and then walked towards the door. She paused as her eyes glanced at the long black cloak that she wore every day to keep herself from being recognized. The cloak wasn't fashionable but it did its job of hiding L's true identity. She couldn't risk going out in public.

_Should I bring the cloak? _L wondered. _If anypony recognizes me I'll be chased out of this town before I even have a chance to get Dash to forgive me._

L thought hard for a moment before she made her decision. She ignored the cloak and moved towards the door.

"No." she said to herself firmly. "I'm not gonna be a coward anymore. I'm gonna talk with Dash face to face and I'm not gonna hide myself under some cloak."

Leaving her black cloak behind, L left her small house and took to the skies. Her friend Gilda had told her where she could find Rainbow Dash, so L knew right where to go. After only a minute or two of flying, she spotted the rainbow maned pegasus' cloud castle and she landed just outside the door. L took in the appearance of Rainbow Dash's cloud castle before she moved towards the door. Rainbow Dash's home definitely wasn't shabby to say the least. After she finished admiring the scenery, L approached the front door of the cloud castle.

_This is it. _she thought to herself firmly. _No turning back now. I'm gonna talk to Dash. And no matter what happens I'm gonna keep helping her._

L gathered all of her courage and she knocked on the door. Then she waited for an answer. Whether it would be Gilda or Rainbow Dash that answered the door, L didn't know. She hoped that it would be the griffon because she felt that Gilda would be much more reasonable than Rainbow Dash. L waited outside for somepony to open the door.

Meanwhile inside the cloud castle, Rainbow Dash and Gilda just finished eating their breakfast. The griffon had been able to make another plate of Rainbow Dash's favorite breakfast. However, Rainbow Dash fiercely insisted that Gilda should have some too. The griffon knew better than to argue with her very determined friend, so she gratefully ate some of the breakfast that she had made for Rainbow Dash. Just as they were cleaning their plates, they heard a loud knock on the front door of the cloud castle.

"Is that her?" Rainbow Dash asked in a slightly eager tone.

"Might be." Gilda replied. She could see the smallest bit of enthusiasm on the light blue rainbow maned pegasus' face. Gilda smiled just ever so slightly to herself. Rainbow Dash's smile wasn't anything like her old confidence, but it was certainly much better than the misery that had been written on her face ever since that humiliating prank. Gilda strode over to the front door, opened it, and invited her friend L inside.

"Hey Dash." she called out to the pegasus. "Come on over here. You gotta meet my friend."

Rainbow Dash entered the main room of the castle and her jaw dropped in shock when she saw the pegasus pony that was standing next to her best friend Gilda. Her purple and pink eyes widened in amazement.

"Lightning Dust?" she asked in a shocked tone. Rainbow Dash couldn't believe her eyes. Standing right there in her house was her old friend from the Wonderbolts Academy Lightning Dust. How did she find her? What was Lightning Dust doing in Ponyville? Despite how confused Rainbow Dash was, one thing was certain. The daredevil pegasus pony Lightning Dust was standing inside of her cloud castle.

However this was not the Lightning Dust that Rainbow Dash remembered. When she had last seen the daredevil, her mane had been styled in her own personal way. Lightning Dust had certainly taken quite a bit of pride in the way that she looked. Rainbow Dash remembered that it had taken Lightning Dust a little bit more time to get prepared for their training than it did for the other ponies at the Academy. Now however, her usually well groomed mane hung down from her head. Instead of being shiny and neat, it was scraggly and lank. It was as if the daredevil didn't even bother trying to make herself look good. Another big difference between the old and new Lightning Dust was her facial expression. Back at the Wonderbolts Academy, Lightning Dust usually had a confident grin on her face. Now her face bore a much different expression that Rainbow Dash couldn't describe. It was a combination of sadness, guilt, loneliness, and other equally unpleasant and depressing emotions. The rainbow maned pegasus was extremely surprised to see how much her old friend had changed in the few months that had passed since their time at the Wonderbolts Academy. Despite Lightning Dust's rather pitiable appearance, Rainbow Dash was not pleased to see her in the slightest and she was in no mood to be concerned for her.

"Lightning Dust just what the hay are you doing here?" Rainbow Dash shouted.

Lightning Dust had a rather nervous look in her eyes as she responded.

"I came here to apologize." she said quietly.

"And what makes you think I'd accept one of your apologies?" Rainbow Dash angrily snarled. "And why did you bring _her_ here?" she growled at Gilda. "You know what she's done."

Gilda was about to respond but Lightning Dust cut her off.

"Look Dash about that." she began. "There's more to it. Just listen to me."

"No." Rainbow Dash responded firmly. "Why should I? You clipped my wings! You made a bunch of ponies in our class crash into each other! You nearly killed my friends with that tornado! Why should I listen to a thing you say?"

Lightning Dust closed her eyes and sighed.

"I guess there's only one way to do this." she mumbled. In a loud and clear voice she continued. "Rainbow Dash I challenge you to a race."

"You've gotta be kidding me." Rainbow Dash replied.

Lightning Dust continued as if she hadn't heard what the rainbow maned pegasus had said.

"We're gonna race in the forest on hoof." the daredevil explained. "No wings. Three laps all around the clearing. If you win the race I'll never bother you again. I won't talk to ya, I won't go near ya, and once I'm finished doing your job for the week I'll ditch town if you want."

This statement perked the interest of Rainbow Dash and the shock of Gilda.

"And if you win?" Rainbow Dash asked, but in a very quiet voice she muttered. "Which you won't."

"If I win you gotta hear me out." Lightning Dust replied. "I know you won't forgive me but if I win then you gotta at least listen to what I have to say."

Rainbow Dash looked her old friend and teammate Lightning Dust in the eyes as she replied.

"You're on." she said.

The group of three left Rainbow Dash's cloud castle and headed off into the massive forest that Gilda had been inside of multiple times. Lightning Dust then led the way into a large clearing while Rainbow Dash glared angrily at her best friend Gilda for bringing the daredevil to her home. When they landed inside the clearing, Lightning Dust looked at Rainbow Dash and spoke.

"What do you think Rainbow Dash?" she asked. "Three laps around this clearing. Think you can take me?"

"You are so on!" Rainbow Dash growled fiercely.

The duo took up their positions next to each other as Gilda began the countdown.

"One." the griffon began.

Rainbow Dash gave Lightning Dust a glare of loathing which the daredevil ignored. She had much more important matters on her mind.

"Two." Gilda continued.

The duo bent their legs and were ready to sprint at any moment.

"Three." the griffon said.

Both pegasi had looks of fierce determination on their faces.

"GO!" Gilda shouted and they were off.

Gilda watched her two closest friends race as fast as they could and she felt a little guilty. In any ordinary competition she'd be openly supporting Rainbow Dash. The only exception to this was if the pegasus was competing against Gilda herself. This situation however was much different than any other race. Gilda knew that she had no chance of helping Rainbow Dash by herself. That was exactly the reason why she had invited Lightning Dust over in the first place. The griffon watched the two pegasi race in silence. She may have felt like a traitor for not supporting her best friend, but she knew that if she was going to have a chance at getting Rainbow Dash to be herself again, Lightning Dust needed to win this race. The first lap of the race was over and the rainbow maned pegasus had an extremely commanding lead over the daredevil Lightning Dust.

As the race entered the second lap, Lightning Dust began to narrow the gap between the two racers. Lightning Dust was determined to win. Rainbow Dash had a look of surprise on her face as she rapidly accelerated to make up for the ground that Lightning Dust was quickly gaining. However all of Rainbow Dash's attempts at increasing her lead were futile. Whether it was because of her impressive speed or her fierce determination Gilda didn't know, but either way Lightning Dust was rapidly gaining ground on the rainbow maned pegasus. The second lap of the race was now over and while Rainbow Dash still held the lead, it was nowhere near as wide of a lead as it was before.

The final lap began and both Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust pushed themselves as hard as they could. Rainbow Dash was not going to allow her former friend to win and Lightning Dust knew just how much was depending on her winning this race. The duo sprinted around the corners of the clearing. As they made it past the halfway point, the two pegasi were neck and neck. Lightning Dust had finally closed the gap between the two of them. They rounded the third turn and by that point the reckless daredevil Lightning Dust had a very slim lead over Rainbow Dash. As the duo rounded the final corner, Gilda watched in a state of anxiety. She _needed_ Lightning Dust to win this race. Gilda didn't know what would happen if the daredevil were to lose. The duo crossed the finish line and Gilda's worries were put to rest. Lightning Dust didn't have a huge lead over Rainbow Dash, but it was wide enough to make it obvious that she had won the race.

"Lightning Dust is the winner!" Gilda shouted, much to the relief of the daredevil and herself. Rainbow Dash however did not share their sentiments.

"All right ya beat me." she grumbled in an annoyed tone. "So what did ya wanna talk about?"

"Let's go back to your place." Lightning Dust responded. "I'd rather this be between the three of us."

The trio left the forest and flew back to Rainbow Dash's castle. Well two of them flew. Gilda carried Rainbow Dash on her back as she and Lightning Dust flew. The light blue pegasus may have been perfectly healthy, but her boss had been told that she had sprained her wing and the trio didn't want to run the risk of their lie being discovered. The group of three entered the cloud castle and they sat down at Rainbow Dash's table. Rainbow Dash glared at Lightning Dust as the daredevil began to speak.

**Author's Note:** So L is actually Lightning Dust. What could she have to say to Rainbow Dash? Will our favorite rainbow maned pegasus forgive her former friend?


	8. Chapter 8: Lightning Dust's Tale

**Chapter 8: Lightning Dust's Tale**

"Dash have you ever heard of water wings before?" Lightning Dust asked.

"Yeah I have," the rainbow maned pegasus replied in an aggravated tone. "And it's Rainbow Dash. Only my _friends _get to call me Dash."

Rainbow Dash definitely knew what water wings meant. Every single flying creature in Equestria knew what it meant. While some ponies like Twilight Sparkle would give a long, complex, and detailed description about what it meant, no pegasus would ever say the same. As far as any flying creature, be they pegasus, griffon, or whatever, cared water wings meant only one thing: if you have it you cannot fly at all.

"Well you see Rainbow Dash almost everypony in my entire family has water wings." Lightning Dust explained. "I'm the first and only one that wasn't born with it. But for a while my family had assumed that I was just like the rest of them: grounded for life."

Gilda gave Lightning Dust a look of pity as she continued her story. Rainbow Dash wasn't nearly as moved by the daredevil's story, but she still listened. She hardly cared at all about Lightning Dust, but she had lost a bet and now she had to pay the price.

_Just wait it out._ she told herself mentally. _The second she's done talking she'll be out of my life for good._

"Well for years I thought that I'd be useless." Lightning Dust continued. "I had wings and I couldn't use them. What good would I ever be? What could I ever do with my life?" She fought back her tears and kept talking. "Well anyway I was playing with some cousins and then I fell off a ledge. I thought I was a goner for sure but I was flying. I didn't even crash. My cousins were shocked but I was totally freaked out. I could really fly! All of those years I had thought that I was completely useless but I could actually fly! My parents quickly decided to 'train' me and that's where everything went horribly wrong."

Rainbow Dash looked her old friend in the eyes as she continued. Lightning Dust had thought she had water wings for years and then she suddenly found out that she could fly. The rainbow maned pegasus pony tried to imagine how she would feel if she thought she had water wings at such a young age and she didn't like what her imagination came up with. She started to feel just a little bit sorry for her old friend. Not sorry enough to forgive her but sorry all the same.

"My parents wanted me to be the best flier in Equestria." Lightning Dust continued. "I was the only pony in the family that could actually fly and they didn't want me to waste that. For years all they did was drill one thought into my brain: Prove that I'm the best and take down anypony that gets in the way. And all those years I believed them. Every day I pushed myself to my limits to make sure that nopony would ever be a better flier than me. For years I practiced. I never quit and if I did I'd get in trouble. My parents would never let me rest for a minute. When I finally got accepted into the Academy I was proud. I was feeling like I was really worth something. My parents had reminded me that the Wonderbolts didn't matter. Joining their team was just a temporary thing. Once ponies all around Equestria started to recognize me and my talents, I'd ditch them and be even more famous all on my own. They were just a means to an end. And like the total idiot I was I believed what my parents told me."

Lightning Dust's voice was filled with bitterness as she talked. Rainbow Dash's eyes had widened a bit as she listened to the daredevil's story. Lightning Dust's tale was shockingly and eerily similar to Gilda's life story. Both of them had parents who forced their beliefs onto them with cruelty which turned them into what they were. Gilda had been turned into an angry griffon that did anything to stay on Rainbow Dash's good side and threatened anypony that she had felt might replace her. Lightning Dust had been turned into a reckless daredevil pony that didn't care about anypony else except for herself. Rainbow Dash couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"Then I went to the Academy and you know how that turned out." Lightning Dust said angrily. "My stupidity got you hurt. My ego got half our class to crash into each other. And then there was that dumb tornado. I was so stupid and so arrogant that I didn't even listen when Spitfire said it wasn't a race. Even if it was a race we were crushing the others. I made that tornado because I thought that Spitfire would be so impressed that she would sign me up as a Wonderbolt in a heartbeat. I brought you along because I knew that I needed your help with it. I used your determination and your dreams of becoming a Wonderbolt to get you to work with me. But I didn't want to hurt those friends of yours. I didn't even know they'd show up. Then everything came crashing down."

"And then you got kicked out?" Rainbow Dash asked quietly.

Lightning Dust sighed sadly as she answered. "Not exactly. I didn't get kicked out. I dropped out."

"But Spitfire told me you got kicked out." Rainbow Dash replied.

"She kept her promise after all huh?" Lightning Dust said quietly. "Anyway after I lost Lead Pony to you I was sent to Spitfire's office." Lightning Dust had a flashback about what happened to her. She sat down on a chair in Spitfire's office waiting for the Wonderbolt herself to arrive. Spitfire sat down and glared at Lightning Dust.

"You know why you're here right?" she asked in an angry tone.

"I'm here to be expelled aren't I ma'am?" Lightning Dust answered quietly.

"Not exactly." Spitfire replied. She took off her sunglasses and looked the daredevil in the eyes. "You pulled a pretty stupid stunt out there today Lightning Dust."

"Yes ma'am." was the daredevil's reply.

"But still you're one of the most talented and determined ponies that this Academy has ever seen." The Wonderbolt Captain continued. "Most ponies would have been kicked out of here after something like that. But I think you have the potential to be better. That is why you are not going to be expelled."

"What's going to happen to me ma'am?" Lightning Dust asked.

"You will be Rainbow Dash's Wing Pony starting immediately." Spitfire answered. "We shall erase all records of your Lead Pony status. It will be as if you were a Wing Pony this whole time."

Lightning Dust sighed sadly as she spoke to Spitfire. She couldn't believe the words that she was about to say to the Wonderbolt but she knew that she needed to say what was on her mind.

"With all due respect ma'am." she began. "We both know I don't deserve to be a Wing Pony."

Spitfire glared at the daredevil as she responded.

"If you think I'm going to give you back your Lead Pony badge then you can forget it." she snapped. "You will be a Wing Pony and believe me you are very lucky to have that."

"Ma'am you misunderstand me." Lightning Dust replied. "You're giving me more than I deserve not less. I don't deserve to be a Wing Pony because I don't deserve to be here at all. I don't deserve to wear this uniform." With that she pulled the Wonderbolts Academy uniform off of her and put it on Spitfire's desk, much to the Wonderbolt Captain's surprise. "I don't deserve to stay at this Academy no matter how much you punish me. Ma'am I'm dropping out."

"You wouldn't." Spitfire replied in shock.

"I would ma'am." Lightning Dust replied gravely. "That tornado almost killed five ponies. _I_ almost killed five ponies. I just can't stay here after that."

There was a silence between the two fliers before Spitfire spoke up again.

"I understand." she said. "I shall erase all of your records. It will be as if you were never here. Nopony will ever know about what you have done."

"Thank you ma'am." Lightning Dust replied.

"You're a great flier Lightning Dust." Spitfire said somberly. "I'd hate to lose you. You have a lot of potential."

"Can you do one thing for me ma'am?" Lightning Dust asked boldly.

"What do you have in mind?" Spitfire replied.

"If anypony at this Academy asks about me tell them I was kicked out." Lightning Dust answered. "I want them to think I got what I deserved. Especially Dash."

"Consider it done." Spitfire replied after a moment's consideration.

"Thank you ma'am." Lightning Dust said. "And goodbye."

Lightning Dust walked out of Spitfire's office and then she left the Academy and all of her dreams behind her. She blinked the tears out of her eyes as she flew off to nowhere in particular. There was no destination in the mind of the daredevil. There was only sadness, guilt, remorse, and shame.

"You actually dropped out?" Rainbow Dash asked in a stunned tone.

"Yeah." Lightning Dust replied quietly.

"But I thought you got kicked out." Rainbow Dash said. "That's why I quit."

"You quit?" Lightning Dust asked in an astonished tone.

Now it was Rainbow Dash's turn to have a flashback. She had spent the rest of that day performing a number of solo exercises since Lightning Dust wasn't around to work with her. After a quick dinner at the Mess Hall, she then flew back to where she slept and glanced at Lightning Dust's empty cot. It felt very weird staring at the empty bed. The light blue pegasus didn't care about the daredevil pony but she was still curious about where she was. The very sight of Lightning Dust's empty cot was unsettling. She stayed in her own cot for a few more moments before her curiosity got the better of her. Putting her uniform back on, Rainbow Dash got out of her bed and headed towards Spitfire's office. She had the Lead Pony badge that had once been Lightning Dust's pinned to her uniform. The Wing Pony badge that she used to wear was back at her cot next to her saddlebags. The rainbow maned pegasus soon reached the door of Spitfire's office and knocked. After receiving an invitation to enter, Rainbow Dash opened the door and she faced the Wonderbolt Captain.

"What is it Rainbow Dash?" Spitfire asked in a testy tone.

"Ma'am, I was wondering what happened to Lightning Dust?" Rainbow Dash asked in a curious tone.

Spitfire hesitated for a brief moment before she answered.

"She got kicked out." the Wonderbolt said. "That tornado she made was worse than what you described."

"But ma'am she didn't do it alone." Rainbow Dash said without even thinking. "I helped her."

"You did what?" Spitfire asked.

"She needed help and told me to follow her lead." Rainbow Dash explained. The light blue pegasus didn't know why she was defending Lightning Dust but she kept talking. "Then we lost control of the tornado and then everything just spiraled out of control."

"I see." Spitfire replied. "But what's done is done. Lightning Dust is gone from this Academy and I couldn't bring her back here even if I wanted to."

"But she didn't deserve to be kicked out!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "It's not fair."

"Why should you care Rainbow Dash?" Spitfire asked. "You didn't seem so friendly to her after the tornado."

"It's not fair." Rainbow Dash repeated. "We both do something stupid. She gets kicked out of the Academy and I get promoted. It's just not right."

"There's nothing I can do for her Rainbow Dash." Spitfire said somberly. "She's long gone by now and I can't get her back. The best that could happen is that she could reapply another time."

"Then there's only one thing for me to do." Rainbow Dash said. "I quit."

"Again?" Spitfire asked in a sarcastic tone.

"For real." Rainbow Dash replied. "If she doesn't deserve to stay because of that tornado then I don't deserve to stay because I'm just as guilty as she is." Rainbow Dash took off her uniform and put it on Spitfire's desk. "Goodbye ma'am." She closed the door, leaving a very stunned Spitfire in her wake.

After that Rainbow Dash walked away from Spitfire's office, gathered all of her belongings from her bunk, and left the Wonderbolts Academy behind her, just like Lightning Dust had done a few hours earlier. The light blue pegasus paid very little attention to where she was flying. Rainbow Dash was only conscious of two things: getting back to Ponyville and holding the Wing Pony badge in her hoof. After some flying, Rainbow Dash returned to Ponyville to the surprise of all of her friends. All of them asked her why she was back so soon. Rainbow Dash responded that she had quit much to their amazement. Her friends tried to talk to her and console her but she held up a hoof.

"Guys I just wanna be alone right now." the rainbow maned pegasus said to her five friends.

The five ponies nodded and left Rainbow Dash to herself. The light blue pegasus pony walked to the edge of a lake and stared into it. She stared at the Wing Pony badge that she had worn at the Academy. She had been Lightning Dust's Wing Pony. Rainbow Dash looked at the badge as she spoke.

"I'm sorry Lightning Dust." she whispered miserably. She flew off to her cloud castle and fell into an uneasy sleep. The next day Rainbow Dash woke up and she did something strange. She walked into her bathroom and styled her mane. Back at the Academy, Lightning Dust had tried multiple times to persuade Rainbow Dash to copy her manecut but the rainbow maned pegasus denied. She styled her mane until it was the exact same style that Lightning Dust had worn. It didn't look good on her at all but she didn't care. She was doing this for her former friend. Her actions weren't out of respect, friendship, or compassion though. Rainbow Dash only had one feeling: guilt. She spent the whole day with the daredevil's manecut as a strange sort of apology to her former friend.

"And that's what happened." Rainbow Dash finished.

"Rainbow Dash I didn't want you to quit for me." Lightning Dust said. "I made Spitfire lie for me so that nopony would ever do what I did."

The three fliers were silent for a moment before Lightning Dust got up from the table.

"Guess I'd better go now." she said heavily. "Bye Gilda, Rainbow Dash."

Rainbow Dash saw that Lightning Dust was fighting the urge to cry and she instantly knew that she needed to do something for her. Rainbow Dash quickly flew in front of Lightning Dust and stopped her from leaving the cloud castle. She offered a hug to her former friend and she saw Lightning Dust's bottom lip begin to tremble. Then the daredevil broke down completely. She threw her forelegs around Rainbow Dash's neck and then she buried her face into the rainbow maned pegasus' shoulder. Rainbow Dash could clearly hear Lightning Dust's muffled cries and apologies. The daredevil's apologies were muffled, but they were audible and honest. Rainbow Dash was forcibly reminded of when Gilda had apologized to her a month or so ago. She had rejected her old friend in favor of the five ponies that she had called her real friends.

_Well I'm not making that mistake again._ Rainbow Dash thought firmly. _Lightning Dust isn't perfect but she's a better friend than any of those traitors._

The rainbow maned pegasus held Lightning Dust in her forelegs and calmed her down.

"Shhh." Rainbow Dash whispered gently, as she rubbed Lightning Dust's back with one hoof and stroked her mane with the other hoof. "Don't cry Lightning. It's okay. I forgive you."

Lightning Dust sobbed a bit before she managed to control herself.

"Thanks Rainbow Dash." she whispered.

"It's cool." The light blue pegasus replied. "And call me Dash."

"But you said only your friends can call you Dash." Lightning Dust said in disbelief.

"Yep and I'd say we're friends." Rainbow Dash answered simply.

The two broke apart as Lightning Dust gazed at Rainbow Dash in disbelief.

"So we're cool?" she asked tentatively as she offered her hoof out to the rainbow maned pegasus.

"Frosty." Rainbow Dash replied with a grin as she bumped her hoof against Lightning Dust's and then she pulled the daredevil into a hug that was eagerly returned.

Gilda watched the scene with a grin of her own. She liked both Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust and she was glad that they were friends. She didn't notice that the two pegasi were moving closer towards her until they forcibly dragged her into the hug as well.

"Jeez and I'm not even the one apologizing." she said in a tone of mock irritation, as she threw her forelegs around her two friends.

"You helped me get the guts to apologize to Dash." Lightning Dust said gratefully.

"You helped me get my friend back." Rainbow Dash added as they hugged Gilda even tighter.

The three stayed in that hug before Lightning Dust broke away from the others and said that she had to get to work. She was about to walk out the doors before Rainbow Dash stopped her.

"Hold on Lightning." Rainbow Dash said as she put a hoof out to stop her friend. "I can't let my friend go out like that. Your mane's a complete mess."

Lightning Dust sat down in a chair as her rainbow maned friend worked her hooves through her mane. Within less than a minute Rainbow Dash was finished with her work and she held out a mirror. Lightning Dust examined her reflection and saw that Rainbow Dash had styled her mane perfectly.

"Better?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Much better." Lightning Dust replied. "Thanks."

With that, Lightning Dust walked out the doors of Rainbow Dash's cloud castle and took to the skies. She needed to get to work on controlling the weather in her friend's place. She flew away from Rainbow Dash's castle with a broad grin on her face and a new friend in her life.

**Author's Note:** Another tear jerking story and another heartwarming redemption. Man I'm a sucker for these. Just in case anyone is wondering Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust will _not _be a pairing/couple. I already know who I want Rainbow Dash to be with. (and I think you guys know too.) As for Lightning Dust well I have an idea that's interesting to say the least. Also the concept of water wings was something I came up with on my own. I looked it up and the term wasn't being used so I took it and gave it it's own meaning. Rainbow Dash has a new friend now so what will happen next?


	9. Chapter 9: What Friends Are For

**Chapter 9: What Friends Are For**

Rainbow Dash and Gilda watched their friend Lightning Dust leave the cloud castle. After a moment Rainbow Dash turned to Gilda and spoke.

"Thanks for bringing her here G." she said. "Sorry I yelled at ya."

"It's cool Dash." Gilda replied. "She's gonna help ya and so am I."

"I'm glad I've got real friends like you guys." Rainbow Dash said.

Rainbow Dash then pulled Gilda into a hug, which the griffon eagerly returned. Then the duo left the cloud castle and strolled through town. Gilda was extremely determined to help Rainbow Dash. The light blue pegasus was in a bit of a better mood but she still wasn't the same as her normal self. Gilda decided that the best way to help Rainbow Dash was to just have fun. The duo raced with each other on hoof and paw through the streets and the forests. Rainbow Dash managed to beat Gilda a handful of times. Rainbow Dash was pretty bummed out that she was grounded for the week. Even though the lie had been told without her knowing, she couldn't risk her boss seeing her flying around. If her lie was discovered she'd very likely lose her job and then she'd be in really deep trouble. It would be very difficult to get another job if she lost this one. The two friends did whatever they felt like and they had a bunch of fun. The rest of the Mane Six ponies were nowhere in sight and Gilda was perfectly fine with that. Rainbow Dash's mood would not improve if she saw them. After a few more races the duo went back to Rainbow Dash's cloud castle. They relaxed at the kitchen table until the front door was flung wide open. Lightning Dust sprinted in, slammed the door behind her, and leaned against it breathing heavily.

"Jeez Lightning what the hay happened to you?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Guess my reputation in this town isn't that great." the daredevil said.

"What do you mean Lightning?" Gilda asked.

"Oh nothing it's fine." Lightning Dust answered hastily but her eyes gave her away. Both of her friends knew that she was hiding something.

"Come on Lightning." Gilda said reassuringly. "Tell the truth."

"You can tell us anything." Rainbow Dash agreed. "We won't judge ya."

"I tried to go to work but the ponies there knew who I was and they chased me off." Lightning Dust said. "Then before I knew it, there was a mob following me and some ponies tried to clip my wings. I just barely got away. Some of them were talking about clipping my wings permanently."

"WHAT?" Rainbow Dash and Gilda shouted in unison with looks of anger on their faces. They did not like what they had heard. Not only had their friend been attacked by an angry mob, but they were going to try to have her wings removed. The duo marched towards Lightning Dust, grabbed her, and then the three of them were out the doors. They flew to the center of town and a group of angry ponies gathered around them and began yelling angrily at Lightning Dust. The shouting continued for a minute before the mob was silenced.

"SHUT UP!" an enraged Gilda roared at the crowd. Everypony in the area was instantly silent. Gilda may have been accepted among them but they knew that she had a lot of strength and very little patience. They also knew that she was a very good fighter. She was not a griffon that they wanted to get on the wrong side of.

"Which of you haybrains tried to hurt Lightning Dust?" Rainbow Dash demanded angrily.

A group of ponies stepped forwards. Rainbow Dash noted the familiar faces of each and every one of them. All of these ponies had been at the Wonderbolts Academy with her and Lightning Dust. Every single one of them had admitted to flunking out. They just weren't Wonderbolts material according to Spitfire.

"All right listen up." Rainbow Dash said in a loud and clear voice. "Nopony is gonna hurt my friend. She doesn't deserve that. She is a much better pony than any of you."

"If any of you hurt a hair in her mane you'll be spending some quality time with Nurse Redheart." Gilda added. "I don't mind giving her a few extra patients."

"Is that clear?" both fliers said in unison. Their eyes were narrowed in anger. If this crowd didn't listen to them they'd _make _them listen.

The crowd nodded silently in assurance. Gilda was an extremely talented fighter and Rainbow Dash was definitely no pushover. The duo may have been heavily outnumbered, but everypony knew that the pegasus and griffon were a formidable team and they would have no problems with getting into a fight if it meant helping a friend. They would take on any odds if they were determined enough. Nopony wanted to be the one on the receiving end of their anger. The crowd made some hasty apologies to Lightning Dust and then they slowly walked away from the three fliers.

"Thanks guys." Lightning Dust whispered.

"No problem Lightning." Rainbow Dash replied as she placed a reassuring wing around her.

"It's what friends do for each other." Gilda added as she did the same on Lightning Dust's other side.

The trio of friends walked through town and enjoyed each other's company. They had a race at the go kart tracks and they quickly left their competition in the dust. The three friends were in a close tie but Rainbow Dash managed to win the race. This was part of the plan between Gilda and Lightning Dust. They both wanted to help Rainbow Dash get back to her old self again and they needed her to be in a good mood. So they did as many fun things that they could think of. It also helped that Rainbow Dash won the race since her pride and confidence were what hurt the most from the prank that her 'friends' had pulled on her. The other two fliers hoped that some small victories would boost her ego to it's normal level. After the go kart race, they went to the paintball arena and it was a total free for all. The three fliers worked together to defeat all the other ponies that had joined in. They were an unstoppable force. Nopony could even touch them. When it came down to the three of them they all fired and Rainbow Dash managed to win again.

The three friends walked through the streets of Ponyville. They laughed and joked as they walked with no destination in mind. All three of them were in very high spirits. Lightning Dust was happy to have been forgiven by Rainbow Dash. Gilda was happy that her two closest friends were getting along perfectly. Rainbow Dash was happy that she had made a new friend. They were getting along so well. Rainbow Dash had never felt so close with any of her friends before. All of a sudden Rainbow Dash stopped walking and her eyes widened in fear and surprise. She saw the rest of the Mane Six talking with each other. The light blue pegasus glanced at her friends worriedly and they quickly got the message. Gilda placed Rainbow Dash on her back and flew off with Lightning Dust following closely behind her. They hoped that the five ponies hadn't seen them. Lightning Dust looked over her shoulder and confirmed that they weren't being followed. The trio went back to Rainbow Dash's cloud castle. Lightning Dust said goodbye to them and then she flew off to her house. After a quick dinner, Rainbow Dash and Gilda went to bed and they both had a peaceful night's sleep. Rainbow Dash relaxed on her cloud while Gilda settled into her new bed with the eagle shaped headrest. The bed was a birthday present from Rainbow Dash who had it custom made by some ponies in town. The headrest had the shape of an eagle's head with white feathers and golden yellow eyes while the mattress was supported by legs fashioned like those of a griffon. The two legs closer to the eagle head ended in eagle claws while the others had the paws of a lion. The bed was exactly like Gilda: Half Lion, Half Eagle, and All Awesome. Gilda pulled the matching blanket that was mostly brown with white for the upper portion over her and fell asleep. The bed that she was sleeping in was just another reminder of how great of a friend Rainbow Dash was.

The next day Rainbow Dash and Gilda woke up in much better moods than they did the day before. It really helped that they had grown closer to each other and Lightning Dust. They went into the kitchen where Gilda began making breakfast for the two of them. Gilda didn't have all of the ingredients that she needed to make Rainbow Dash's favorite breakfast that day but the pegasus didn't mind. The duo had a good breakfast together and then they went outside of the cloud castle and strolled through town.

Meanwhile Lightning Dust got out of bed and ate her breakfast. After that was finished, she walked out of her house and headed off to her temporary job. The ponies that she worked with glared at her but they didn't say a word to the daredevil. Apparently the warnings that were made by Rainbow Dash and Gilda the day before were still fresh in their minds. Lightning Dust didn't care what these ponies thought of her. She was there to help out her friend. Maybe once Rainbow Dash felt more like Rainbow Dash again she could try to befriend some of the ponies in Ponyville, but right now they mattered very little to her. She cleared out a bunch of clouds and did other weather related jobs. Once her shift was over, Lightning Dust flew off back to her house and took a quick bath. After that was over she fixed her mane and left her house to meet with Gilda and Rainbow Dash.

When Lightning Dust joined her two friends they flew off towards the clearing. Gilda and Lightning Dust needed to help Rainbow Dash get her confidence and pride back. They challenged Rainbow Dash to a race and all three of them were off. While a victory would help their friend, Gilda and Lightning Dust knew that it wouldn't mean anything if they went easy on Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash certainly loved to compete but a competition was only fun for her when her opponents were at their best. Gilda and Lightning Dust knew that Rainbow Dash wouldn't be happy with them if they held back on her. The three fliers ran as fast as they possibly could. None of them were going to hold anything back in this race. Rainbow Dash just barely managed to win the race and she was happy about it. She didn't have her usual pride but this was definitely an improvement from before. She showed off her skills with a little bit of celebratory flying. Thankfully she stayed low so that nopony would spot her. Gilda and Lightning Dust were going to do everything that they could to help their friend. This was just one small step on the way to helping Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow Dash may have enjoyed the time that she was spending with her two friends, but she was still saddened by how her other friends had humiliated her. She wasn't as confident in herself as she usually was and she didn't pull as many pranks as she would have on any normal day. She may have showed off a bit before but her heart wasn't really in it. Gilda and Lightning Dust knew that Rainbow Dash was trying her hardest to hide her misery. Rainbow Dash did not want her friends to think that she was weak. The trio ate dinner at a restaurant and then they went off to bed for some much needed sleep.

When Gilda woke up the next day she racked her brains to think of a plan. Rainbow Dash was feeling a bit better than she was before but she still wasn't acting like Rainbow Dash. Gilda really needed to do something and soon. She saw the look in Rainbow Dash's eyes when she noticed the five ponies that had humiliated her. The griffon had seen the expected emotions of sadness and betrayal in the pink and purple eyes of the pegasus. For one very brief moment the griffon thought that she had seen some anger in her best friend's expression. That thought gave her an idea. It was a crazy idea but it was an idea all the same.

Gilda made breakfast for herself and Rainbow Dash and the duo ate in silence. They chatted for a while before Lightning Dust arrived. Gilda then suggested that they should go to the forest clearing for some fun. Little did the two pegasi know, Gilda had a very interesting idea of fun in mind.

None of the three fliers knew that they were being followed by a group of four ponies.

The three fliers arrived in the clearing and Gilda whispered her plan to Lightning Dust. The daredevil was definitely shocked by the griffon's plan but she agreed that it was the best and only chance that they had. Lightning Dust agreed to stand aside unless things got out of control. Gilda seemed certain that this plan would work. Her only concern was that it might work too well, but if that were to happen Lightning Dust would be there to help her. Lightning Dust stood to the side as Gilda approached Rainbow Dash.

"Hey Dash." Gilda said. "How ya doing?"

"Pretty good." Rainbow Dash replied but Gilda knew that she was being dishonest.

"You're still pretty upset about that prank huh?" Gilda asked.

Rainbow Dash was about to deny it but she realized that there wasn't any point. Gilda knew her far too well to be fooled by any lie that Rainbow Dash could think of telling.

"Yeah I am." Rainbow Dash replied quietly.

"I bet you're kinda mad aren't ya?" Gilda asked.

"Well I was only humiliated by four of my best friends so yeah I'm pretty ticked off." Rainbow Dash said in an irritated tone. "What's your point?"

"Well I've always felt that when you're mad sometimes the best thing to do is to just let it all out." Gilda said.

"What are you saying G?" Rainbow Dash asked as her eyes narrowed.

"I'm saying you and me. Right here. Right now." Gilda said.

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened in shock. Gilda was challenging her to a fight. This was not something that she was expecting. The griffon noticed the pegasus' look of wide eyed surprise as she spoke again.

"That is if you think you can take me." she said in a mocking tone. If this didn't work then nothing would.

"Oh you're ON!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she lunged at Gilda. The griffon grinned to herself. This was exactly what she had thought and hoped would happen. She dodged Rainbow Dash's ferocious attack and the fight began.

Meanwhile in the bushes, four ponies sat and stood in hiding. They watched the fight unfold with their own looks of wide eyed surprise. Gilda and Rainbow Dash were the best of friends and now all of a sudden they were fighting against each other. Lightning Dust watched the fight with shock on her face. She may have known what Gilda's plan was but that didn't make it any less surprising when it actually happened.

Gilda and Rainbow Dash had taken to the skies and kept on fighting. Nopony ever came this deep into the forest so it was highly unlikely that they would be spotted. Rainbow Dash had tried everything she knew but it was no use. Gilda dodged, blocked, and countered all of Rainbow Dash's attacks. The griffon put very little effort into their fight as she ducked and weaved almost lazily. She barely needed to move at all to block every single punch, kick, and tackle that was thrown at her.

"Come on Dash." she taunted. "What happened to ya? I remember the days back when you could actually stand a chance against me."

"Shut up!" Rainbow Dash snapped as she tried once again to attack Gilda. The griffon easily dodged the pegasus' attack and countered with her own. Rainbow Dash was forced back by the brute strength of Gilda's hit. The griffon grinned to herself as she spoke again.

"This is too easy for me Dash." Gilda said in her mocking tone. "Are you holding back on me or am I just that good of a fighter? Or maybe." Gilda's eyes widened in a look of mock surprise as she continued. "Could it be? Has my best friend Rainbow Dash, the fastest pegasus in Equestria, finally gone _soft_ on me?"

Rainbow Dash let out a furious yell at the griffon's remark. Her shout shook the surrounding trees and the white clouds overhead seemed to quiver as if in fright of the rainbow maned pegasus' anger.

"I'll show you who's soft!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, as she lunged towards Gilda. The griffon didn't react in time to block the attack and as a result of such, Rainbow Dash's punch hit her square in the beak. The five ponies that were watching the two fliers' fierce battle gasped in shock. They didn't expect Rainbow Dash to give Gilda a punch like that. What was even more unexpected was Gilda's reaction. The griffon didn't yell, scream, growl, or anything like that. She was actually grinning.

"Now _that's_ the Rainbow Dash I'm best friends with!" she said proudly.

The fight continued and while neither flier did much damage to the other, there was a major difference in the way they fought. It seemed like Rainbow Dash had gotten more and more confident and Gilda actually had to put effort into the way she dodged and blocked the pegasus' attacks. They both landed some minor hits on each other but they weren't hurt too badly. Finally they both called an end to the fight and they landed back on the ground.

"Feeling better Dash." Gilda asked.

"I feel _way _better." Rainbow Dash replied. "Thanks G I needed that."

"You just needed to get your confidence back." Lightning Dust said to her. "This was just the thing to help ya."

The three fliers left the clearing while the four ponies stared in shock at what they just saw.

Little did Rainbow Dash and her friends know, there was one pony that was following them.

Rainbow Dash decided to lay down on a cloud for a quick nap. That fight had tired her out. She could have gone back to her house for a much better sleep, but she felt like sleeping outside for now as a change of pace. After she laid down on the cloud, Gilda and Lightning Dust both laid down near her but not next to her. They didn't want to get too close to the rainbow maned pegasus.

All off a sudden, Rainbow Dash beckoned her two friends to come closer. The griffon and the pegasus sat down next to their friend. Gilda sat down on Rainbow Dash's left side while Lightning Dust sat down on the light blue pony's right side. Rainbow Dash then spoke to them in a quiet tone.

"Thanks for helping me guys." she whispered. "I'm sorry for everything I did to you."

Rainbow Dash looked at Gilda as she continued.

"I'm sorry I ditched you and made you live in caves."

Then she turned to Lightning Dust.

"I'm sorry I ratted you out and made you lose out on your dream."

The two friends glanced at each other before they replied.

"It's all water under the bridge Dash." Gilda told her.

"Forgiven and forgotten." Lightning Dust agreed,

"We're your friends now Dash." Gilda continued.

"And we're always gonna be here for you." Lightning Dust said.

"Whether you like it or not." Gilda added.

"So get used to it." Lightning Dust finished.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Rainbow Dash whispered gratefully.

Gilda and Lightning Dust tried to get up but Rainbow Dash held them down.

"Can you guys stay with me for a while?" she asked.

Gilda and Lightning Dust both grinned at Rainbow Dash as they laid down and slid right next to the rainbow maned pegasus. Rainbow Dash greatly enjoyed the warmth she felt from having her two best friends laying down right next to her. They gave her more warmth than the hottest of fires. All of a sudden Gilda and Lightning Dust both did something strange. Gilda carefully draped her right wing over the lower half of Rainbow Dash's body while Lightning Dust draped her left wing over Rainbow Dash's upper body. They let the rainbow maned pegasus use their wings like blankets and Rainbow Dash enjoyed it immensely. She felt comfortable and in a way safe as she laid down underneath the wings of her closest friends. It was like Gilda and Lightning Dust were comforting and protecting her at the same time. Soon the three friends fell into a very peaceful sleep.

Meanwhile higher in the sky, a yellow pegasus pony with a pink mane gazed sadly down at the sight below her.

Fluttershy sighed quietly as she watched Rainbow Dash fall asleep with Gilda and Lightning Dust. She was upset by what she was seeing. Granted Fluttershy cared a lot for Rainbow Dash and she always wanted to see her be happy. Fluttershy didn't have anything against seeing her friend laying down with Gilda and Lightning Dust. It wasn't in the timid pony's nature to hold a grudge. Fluttershy was saddened as she looked at Rainbow Dash's facial expression. The rainbow maned pegasus was smiling happily.

The timid pony had seen Rainbow Dash look happy on a number of occasions, but this was a much different kind of happiness. Rainbow Dash wasn't smiling because she was feeling proud of herself. She wasn't grinning in anticipation or excitement. Her smile wasn't a confident smirk like it usually was. Her smile showed only one thing: contentment. It was that which made the yellow pony so upset. She realized that, even if Rainbow Dash were too forgive her, this type of happiness was something that Fluttershy just couldn't give her. While Fluttershy always did absolutely everything that she could do to make her friend happy, she knew that she could never be the same as Gilda or Lightning Dust. She just didn't have the same sense of pride and determination that those two shared with Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy smiled a small and sad smile at the sight of the three fliers sleeping peacefully on the cloud. She was very happy for Rainbow Dash but she knew that she could never be this great of a friend to the light blue pegasus. Fluttershy flew away from the three fliers and headed back to her cottage. She had made up her mind. She might not be the same as Gilda or Lightning Dust, but she was going to be the absolute best friend that she could be for Rainbow Dash.

**Author's Note: **I don't want to sound like I'm begging for art but if someone could draw a picture of Rainbow Dash, Gilda and Lightning Dust sleeping together on a cloud with their wings draped over each other I'd be so happy. I had that cute scene stuck in my mind for a while and I just had to write it. It looks like Rainbow Dash is feeling a lot more like her old self but what is Fluttershy up to? We'll just have to find out. Also the idea for Gilda's bed just came to me randomly and I thought why not add it in?


	10. Chapter 10: Rainbow Dash's Story

**Chapter 10: Rainbow Dash's Story**

Rainbow Dash didn't know how she got into her bed last night. The previous day's events were nothing but a blur to the rainbow maned pegasus. One moment she was fighting with Gilda and then the next she was napping on a cloud with both Gilda and Lightning Dust. She hardly remembered eating dinner and now she was waking up in her own bed inside her cloud castle. Despite her confusion, Rainbow Dash was in a pretty good mood. The fight with Gilda had allowed her to release all of the anger that she felt from the prank. It was exactly what she needed to relieve herself from her stress. She got out of her bed and went into the kitchen.

Gilda had just finished making breakfast when she noticed Rainbow Dash enter the room. The griffon put two plates of food on the table and the two friends ate silently.

"So Dash." Gilda said. "How ya feeling?"

"Pretty good G." Rainbow Dash replied honestly.

The duo finished their breakfast and they strolled through town. Rainbow Dash still had another three more days off because of her 'sprained' wing so they didn't have to worry about the pegasus losing her job. They walked around until they met up with Lightning Dust. The trio had a small lunch and then they relaxed in the forest clearing. Rainbow Dash felt a lot more like herself than she had in the past week. Her friends had certainly helped her a lot.

And speaking of her friends.

"_There _you are Rainbow!" a voice called out.

The three fliers turned and saw Twilight Sparkle approaching them. Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were following closely behind her. The four ponies surrounded Rainbow Dash with annoyed looks on their faces.

"Where were you?" Twilight Sparkle demanded. "We've been looking everywhere for you."

Rainbow Dash stayed silent as the ponies kept talking.

"Ya shouldn't have run off like that." Applejack scolded.

"We're your friends Rainbow." Rarity said.

"Are not." Rainbow Dash replied.

"Are too." Pinkie Pie argued.

"Are not."

"Are too."

The two of them argued back and forth like that for a while until they were broken up.

"Enough." Twilight Sparkle said. 'Rainbow we're your friends."

"You're not my friends!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Real friends wouldn't humiliate me like that!"

"We weren't trying to humiliate you." Twilight Sparkle said.

"We just didn't want you to become a braggart." Rarity said.

"Real friends don't brag." Applejack agreed.

Rainbow Dash refused to listen to their words.

"Real friends hug each other!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she threw her forelegs around Rainbow Dash and held her in a bone crushing hug. Pinkie Pie may have had a smile on her face but Rainbow Dash was definitely not in the mood for a hug from the pink pony.

"Get off me!" Rainbow Dash shouted as she roughly shoved Pinkie Pie off of her. The pink pony fell to the ground and her eyes started to tear up.

"Rainbow how could you?" Rarity asked in an angry tone.

"Ya'll have changed and we don't like it one bit." Applejack said in a similar tone.

"Rainbow come to your senses." Twilight Sparkle pleaded. "That kind of bragging isn't who you are."

"Isn't who I am." Rainbow Dash repeated quietly. "Isn't that ironic."

The four ponies gave Rainbow Dash a questioning look as she continued. Pinkie Pie had restrained herself from crying though she still looked saddened by what had just happened.

"Let me tell _you _something." Rainbow Dash said in a fiercely determined voice. "That bragging was the closest thing to the real me that you've ever seen."

Rainbow Dash glared at the four ponies as she began her story.

"Ever since I moved to this town I swallowed so much dang pride just to keep these ponies off my back."

Rainbow Dash had a flashback to when she first moved to Ponyville. She had been living in Cloudsdale for a year and a half since she dropped out of Flight School. Some friends of hers had offered her a place to stay and Rainbow Dash eagerly accepted. After a year and a half of living there, she moved out and started a new life in Ponyville. Cloudsdale was just too expensive to live in and all of her friends had moved out of the town. The light blue pegasus arrived in her new town and she quickly got her own place. Living in Ponyville was way cheaper than living in Cloudsdale.

However Ponyville was a much different place than Cloudsdale. Cloudsdale had been home to many pegasi like Rainbow Dash. The rainbow maned pegasus had a large amount of pride which was a pretty common thing to see in a city like Cloudsdale. Ponyville however was far different. The ponies around this town didn't care for Rainbow Dash's pride. They didn't like it when she showed off her skills. Then one day the mayor talked to Rainbow Dash and basically said that if she didn't keep her pride in check she would be evicted from Ponyville.

"I didn't wanna get kicked out of town so I listened to her." Rainbow Dash said angrily. "I gave up a huge part of who I was just so I could stay in this town."

Rainbow Dash continued on to explain that she kept herself from showing pride just to stay in Ponyville. A little bit less than two years later Rainbow Dash met the rest of the Mane Six.

"Then I met you guys." she said. "I swallowed so much of my pride to get you guys to like me. But that just wasn't enough for you was it? I had to give up two good friends and my dreams for you too."

Rainbow Dash went on to explain that she had kept herself from showing off as much whenever she was around the others. She didn't want them to hate her because of her pride.

"Then Gilda showed up." Rainbow Dash said. "My _best friend _Gilda. And what did I do? I ditched her for five ponies just because she got a little mad. She hadn't seen me in three and a half years and what does she get? A pony that wouldn't leave her alone with her best friend for a minute. A town full of ponies that treated her like dirt because she was a griffon. And then I ditched her at that party."

"Because she was a bully!" Rarity exclaimed.

"No she wasn't!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "She was so angry with everypony and she had every reason to be. When I watched her walk out I saw how much it hurt her to lose me. When that door closed I wanted to go after her. I wanted to find her and hold her. I wanted to tell her that it was okay. That we could still be friends. But I didn't. I let my best friend walk out of my life because I knew you wouldn't like her."

Rainbow Dash glared at the four ponies as she continued. It sounded like she had been holding this in for a long time.

"Then I went to the Wonderbolts Academy." she continued. "I met Lightning Dust. She wasn't the same as Gilda but she didn't care if I had too much pride. She actually liked me for me. I needed somepony like her. Somepony that didn't care if I was arrogant. Somepony that liked me for me. But you guys couldn't have that could you? You had to show up at the Academy without even sending a letter."

"We didn't know there was going to be a tornado." Twilight Sparkle said.

"It was stupid!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "Even without that tornado you could have gotten hurt. You could have hurt me or Lightning Dust. But did you care? No! You just wanted to make sure I didn't forget you after a few days. Then the tornado happened. I helped Lightning Dust make that tornado because I thought that it would help me become a Wonderbolt. Then I ditched her when you guys got hurt. She didn't know you were gonna show up. I ratted her out and she got kicked out of the Academy."

She gave the four ponies another glare and continued speaking.

"You wanna know why I dropped out?" she asked angrily. "Because I didn't deserve to be there. Lightning Dust got kicked out because of the tornado that I helped her make. If she didn't deserve to stay then I didn't."

The four ponies were silent as Rainbow Dash continued.

"Then Gilda came back and tried to get me to forgive her." Rainbow Dash continued. "I wanted her back because she was the only friend that liked me for me. But I rejected her and do you know why? Because I thought that you guys wouldn't forgive her. I didn't want to have to choose between you again. Because of you I gave up two friends, my dream, and part of who I am. And what do I get for it? I get stabbed in the back and humiliated just because I started getting my old pride back."

Rainbow Dash breathed heavily as she continued her story.

"Then Lightning Dust came back and apologized." she said. "I wasn't gonna ditch her like I ditched Gilda. Lightning Dust likes me for me. You guys got to see the real me and you hated it. I think I know who my real friends are."

The pegasus was venting all of her frustration on the four ponies that stood in front of her.

"You wanna know why that prank was so bad?" she asked. "You wanna know why Gilda was so ticked off? Well back in Flight School a bunch of no good ponies tried to do the same thing to Gilda."

Rainbow Dash had a flashback to her time at Junior Speedsters Flight School. She was the most talented and most popular student by far. No matter how many ponies admired her, Rainbow Dash's first and best friend would always be Gilda. Despite being the second most talented student as well as being best friends with the most popular student, Gilda had nopony as a friend besides Rainbow Dash. The ponies at the school never treated her with any respect or kindness. They kept the insults to a bare minimum whenever Rainbow Dash was around but one could easily see the hatred and mocking in their eyes whenever they looked at the griffon.

One day three ponies got together and created a plan. It was a horrible idea. It was a malicious and cruel idea. Each of them grinned mischievously. It wasn't the same playful mischief that Rainbow Dash and Gilda shared. This mischief was of a different nature. A much more sinister nature. They had a whispered huddle and they all agreed on the plan.

"Hey Gilda." one of the three called out. She was a mare with a rather large and muscular build. Her body was a tan sort of color. Her mane was blonde and unruly. The cutie mark on her flanks depicted a fist. Her name was Chunker. She was the very definition of dumb muscle. Extremely strong but completely dim witted.

Gilda froze with fear. She knew that voice. That was the voice of Chunker, one of the three ponies that gave her the absolute worst treatment of any living creatures that she had ever met in her life. The only ones who were worse to her were her parents. Rainbow Dash stopped next to her. She knew that these ponies were bad news.

"There's a party tonight." the second of the three called out. This one was another mare. Unlike Chunker, she had a smaller and more agile build. She wore a pair of purple glasses at all times. She had a dark gray body with an even darker mane that was trimmed neatly and evenly. Her cutie mark depicted a rather large textbook. This mare's name was Monochrome. She was the opposite of Chunker. She was fiercely intelligent but rather frail. She also lacked any sort of emotion or remorse.

"You gotta come." the third pony said. "Everypony here thinks you're awesome." This pony was the only colt of the group. He was also an alicorn. He had a fiery red body with a bright orange mane. His mane stuck out in all directions like an explosion. His body size was roughly the half way point between Monochrome and Chunker. His cutie mark depicted a great big flame. This pony's name was Psyke. He was considered by many to be mentally unstable. He was fairly intelligent but he was also crazy and reckless to the point of insanity.

Gilda couldn't believe what she was hearing. These ponies that had been giving her such cruel treatment for the three months that she had been at Flight School were inviting her to a party. All of a sudden a red flag shot up in her mind. This didn't seem like a good idea.

"Why now?" she asked. "Everypony was fine with hating me for three months why am I popular all of a sudden?"

Gilda wasn't stupid. She didn't believe these ponies. Had it been some of the other ponies at the school, she might have been more trusting but these three ponies were the absolute worst of the worst.

"All of that was a test." Chunker said.

"We were seeing just how tough you were." Monochrome agreed.

"You've proven you're just as awesome as the rest of us." Psyke finished.

Gilda's golden yellow eyes widened. Was this true? Was all of the teasing, insults, and bullying just a test? Was she really popular? Gilda gave Rainbow Dash an uncertain gaze. Rainbow Dash was just as confused as she was. Her purple and pink eyes offered no answers to the griffon.

"All right I'll be there." Gilda replied. "When and where?"

"Eight O' Clock." Chunker said.

"North gym." Monochrome continued.

"See ya there!" Psyke finished.

The three ponies walked away from Gilda and Rainbow Dash. All three of them had looks of mischief on their faces. The plan was going smoothly.

It was getting close to eight o' clock. Gilda and Rainbow Dash made their way to the northern gym. The room was packed with students. Everypony in the room turned as the doors opened.

"Gilda!" they all shouted in welcome. Everypony cheered and clapped for the griffon who was blushing heavily. She was definitely getting a warm welcome. Gilda and Rainbow Dash mingled with the other ponies for a while. Gilda was absolutely stunned at how _polite_ everypony was to her. All this time they had been cutting her down and making her feel terrible but now she was being accepted by them. Soon enough somepony tapped on a microphone. Everypony immediately fell silent as they turned towards a stage that had been built at one end of the gymnasium.

"Fillies and gentlecolts." Psyke's voice said. "Let's hear it for the girl of the hour: Gilda!"

Everypony cheered as Gilda walked on to the stage. Rainbow Dash was screaming for her friend. Gilda was blushing profusely as the room erupted with applause. Psyke walked off the stage while Gilda stood in the very center of it. Everypony in the room was giving her thunderous cheers.

Suddenly a loud voice rang out.

"Gilda look out!" it said.

Gilda had no time to react. Her vision was obscured by a rainbow object and she was roughly shoved off the stage. She got up and her jaw dropped at what she saw. A pony was standing on the stage covered in a rainbow of paint. Gilda didn't need to think too hard about what had happened and who was covered in the paint. That rainbow object that she saw must have been Rainbow Dash's tail. The light blue pegasus must have shoved Gilda out of harm's way and taken the prank for her.

Everypony in the room broke out into gales of laughter. Rainbow Dash's pink and purple eyes started to water and then she bolted out of the gymnasium. Gilda was stunned. That prank had been meant for her and Rainbow Dash took the hit. The griffon shook off her surprise and chased after her best friend.

Gilda found Rainbow Dash pretty soon afterwards. The rainbow maned pegasus had been hunched up by herself rocking back and forth. It looked like she had been crying. Gilda sat next to her and she didn't know what to do.

"Dash." she said. "Why'd you do that?"

"I couldn't let you get hurt like that." Rainbow Dash sniffled. "You're my best friend G. I'd do a lot more for ya."

"Thanks Dash." Gilda whispered.

The two friends were silent for a moment before Gilda spoke up again.

"Let's go Dash." she said. "We need to get that paint off ya."

Gilda and Rainbow Dash flew towards the bathroom where Rainbow Dash washed herself off. Gilda stood outside and waited for her best friend to come out. She couldn't believe what had just happened. Those bullies had set her up to be humiliated and Rainbow Dash saved her. The light blue pegasus was a really good friend.

Finally Rainbow Dash left the bathroom after giving herself a thorough cleaning. The duo went back to the cabin that they stayed in and Rainbow Dash sat on her bed and cried. Gilda held her and did everything that she could think of to cheer her best friend up but nothing worked. The other ponies that stayed in the cabin with them came in later and they stared at the duo before they fell asleep one by one.

"And then four and a half years later what happens?" Rainbow Dash asked angrily. "A bunch of ponies humiliate me and Gilda is the only one who tries to help. Still think you're my friends?"

Finally her story was finished. Rainbow Dash had been holding all of that anger in for such a long time and she finally got her chance to let it all out. The four ponies were stunned by what they had heard. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity all turned to Twilight Sparkle. The purple alicorn hesitated before she spoke again.

"Rainbow we didn't know." Twilight Sparkle said in a quiet voice. "We're sorry about the prank but still you shouldn't be bragging, You should be humble and-"

Whatever else Twilight Sparkle thought Rainbow Dash should be they never found out. For at that precise moment another voice rang out.

"Oh will you just leave her alone?" an irritated voice asked.

The six ponies and one griffon all turned and they were shocked at who was speaking.

"Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash asked in a surprised tone.

**Author's Note:** Looks like Rainbow Dash's problems are a bit more complex than the other ponies thought at first. Also Chunker, Monochrome, and Psyke are all OC's that I created.


	11. Chapter 11: Fluttershy Speaks Out

**Chapter 11: Fluttershy Speaks Out**

Fluttershy stood with a look of annoyance and anger on her normally calm face. She glared at Twilight Sparkle who, just like the others, was completely shocked.

"She doesn't have to change who she is." Fluttershy continued. "If Rainbow Dash wants to have her pride then let her have her pride."

Twilight Sparkle was stunned at this remark. It wasn't normal for Fluttershy to speak out like this.

"But Fluttershy." the alicorn began. "Do you really think that Rainbow should be so well arrogant?"

"Yes I do." Fluttershy said firmly. "It's not fair for her to have to change who she is for her friends. In fact if we make her feel like she can't be herself then we're not very good friends to her."

This announcement was definitely shocking to the four ponies that Fluttershy was addressing. They definitely hadn't thought about this idea before.

"It was a mistake for us to have used that Mare Do Well idea." Fluttershy said bitterly. "Rainbow Dash was a hero for everypony and we made her feel terrible. That is not what friends do to each other. I'm ashamed of myself for even going along with that plan."

"But if we didn't do that then Rainbow would have been a braggart her whole life." Twilight Sparkle insisted.

"I would rather have Rainbow Dash be arrogant than miserable." Fluttershy argued. "It's better that she gets to be herself than have to change who she is just for us."

Twilight Sparkle was speechless. She was starting to feel very guilty about the Mysterious Mare Do Well. She didn't think that it would have such a negative effect on her friend. She had merely hoped that Rainbow Dash would learn a lesson in humility.

"Mare Do Well was bad enough." Fluttershy said. "But why did you have to humiliate Rainbow Dash with that prank?"

"Because the only reason Mare Do Well didn't work was because of Gilda." Twilight Sparkle answered. "If she didn't stop us then we wouldn't have had to resort to that prank."

"Gilda wasn't trying to stop us." Fluttershy said. "She was doing something that the rest of us weren't. She was being a good friend to Rainbow Dash. We upstaged her so that she'd lose her pride and Gilda did everything she could to help her. She took that tackle from Applejack which hurt her badly just to keep her friend happy. Gilda is a much better friend than any of us, even me."

"So we were supposed to just let Rainbow be a braggart?" Rarity asked.

"Yes." Fluttershy answered. "We might not have liked it but Rainbow Dash was just being Rainbow Dash. That was something that we should have let her be since we met her."

"Even if the real her was so uppity?" Applejack asked.

"It's better to have a friend be themselves than hide who they are." Fluttershy said firmly.

The four ponies were speechless. They were all feeling pretty terrible about what they had done to Rainbow Dash. Fluttershy decided to focus her attention on the rainbow maned pegasus.

"Dash." she said quietly. "I'm so sorry for what I did to you. I didn't want to hurt you. I thought Mare Do Well was a good idea. But I know I made a mistake. I'm sorry."

Rainbow Dash was stunned. Fluttershy was apologizing to her. The yellow pegasus was easily the most innocent of any of the five of Rainbow Dash's 'friends' and yet she was the one that was apologizing. Something that was just as astounding to her was the fact that Fluttershy had called her Dash. Gilda and Lightning Dust were the only ones who called Rainbow Dash by that nickname. Everypony else had always called her Rainbow. While she had never brought it up, it did irritate her a bit. To her it just proved that she couldn't be as proud as she wanted. When a friend called her Dash it meant that they were acknowledging her speed. Every time they used that nickname, Rainbow Dash felt just a little proud of herself.

"Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash began. "It's okay. I forgi-"

Rainbow Dash was cut off as Fluttershy held up a hoof.

"No Dash." she said quietly. "I don't want you to forgive me yet. I know I'm not the same as Gilda or Lightning Dust and I'll never be able to understand you like they do. But no matter what I just want you to know I'm here for you. I will always be your friend. I don't care if you have more pride than other ponies. I just want you to be who you really are."

Fluttershy gave Rainbow Dash a small smile as she continued.

"I don't want you to forgive me yet because I want you to actually want to be my friend." she said. "If you don't want to forgive me I won't force you to. I wish that I never helped with Mare Do Well but I can't change that. I just want you to know that I'm always going to be here for you and that you don't have to swallow your pride around me. Your pride is what makes you who you are and I'm okay with that."

"Wow thanks Fluttershy." Rainbow Dash whispered. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Fluttershy didn't mind if Rainbow Dash was more proud than most ponies. Fluttershy only wanted Rainbow Dash to be herself. This was something that the rainbow maned pegasus desperately needed to hear.

"It's fine Dash." Fluttershy said with a smile. "I want you to be happy. I want you to be Rainbow Dash. I don't want you to change who you are for me or any other pony. I just wish I knew that sooner."

Fluttershy then turned her attention towards Gilda and Lightning Dust.

"You two are much better friends than I could ever hope to be." Fluttershy said. "Rainbow Dash really needs more friends like you in her life."

Fluttershy then turned back to the other four ponies who had looks of surprise on each of their faces.

"I don't know what to say to you." Fluttershy said in a whisper. "I don't hate you but you need to apologize to Dash."

The four ponies stayed silent as Fluttershy turned her attention to Rainbow Dash one last time.

"Dash." she whispered. "You're a really great friend you know. I just wish that I could have returned the favor."

Then Fluttershy flew away from the group and left them behind. She headed back into her cottage and felt pleased. She needed to make sure that Rainbow Dash knew that she didn't have to change who she was and that is what she did. This was what great friends did for each other.

Meanwhile back at the clearing, everypony stood in shock at what had just happened. None of them had expected Fluttershy to speak out like that. She was normally a very quiet and soft-spoken sort of pony. To see her be so firm and, in a way, confrontational was definitely very strange. Twilight Sparkle regained her composure and she spoke to Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow." she began quietly but Rainbow Dash held up a hoof.

"Save it." she said harshly. "I don't want any empty apologies."

Rainbow Dash began to leave but Twilight Sparkle made one last effort to talk to her.

"Rainbow what do you think this means?" she asked.

Rainbow Dash turned and saw that Twilight Sparkle was holding out the necklace that symbolized the Element of Loyalty. It wasn't the real thing, it was a copy that they had made. Rainbow Dash held it in her hoof before she tossed it at the ground in front of Twilight Sparkle's hooves. It didn't break at all. It just sat there being gazed at by a very stunned purple alicorn.

"Rainbow you're the Element of Loyalty!" Rarity exclaimed.

"You should be loyal to your friends!" Applejack agreed.

"I _am_ loyal to my friends!" Rainbow Dash shouted. "My _real_ friends! Gilda and Lightning Dust. They don't care that I have a lot of pride. They like me because of who I am. If you guys don't like my pride or my bragging I don't care. I'm done changing who I am to make others happy. If that means I'm not loyal then fine! If Princess Celestia doesn't think that I deserve to be the Element of Loyalty then fine! I'm not giving up who I am for anypony anymore. I don't care if it's you, the Wonderbolts, or Celestia herself!"

With that, Rainbow Dash turned and flew off. Gilda and Lightning Dust exchanged a quick surprised glance before they followed their friend. The four ponies stood in shock. What were they going to do now?

**Author's Note:** So Fluttershy just told off the other ponies. Rainbow Dash just ditched four really good friends. What's going to happen next?


	12. Chapter 12: Goodbye?

**Chapter 12: Goodbye?**

Rainbow Dash flew away from her four former friends and back to her cloud castle. Gilda and Lightning Dust followed closely behind her. They were definitely shocked at what they had just seen. Not only did Rainbow Dash pretty much break off her friendship with four ponies but Fluttershy also told off the others. Neither Gilda nor Lightning Dust knew what to do in this situation. Rainbow Dash had chosen to abandon her old friends for them. What was going to happen next? That's what both fliers kept thinking to themselves as they followed Rainbow Dash back to her cloud castle.

Rainbow Dash entered her home and sat down at her table. She was still angry at her old friends. They didn't even bother trying to listen to her. Even after Rainbow Dash had gone on that rant they still tried to justify what they did.

_Just proves that they're not my friends._ Rainbow Dash thought angrily. _If they were my friends they'd have apologized. They didn't even care. Fluttershy was the only decent one._

Rainbow Dash pondered over what Fluttershy had said to her before she left. Why had the yellow pegasus refused Rainbow Dash's forgiveness so quickly? Any of the other four ponies would have accepted it without any hesitation. Fluttershy however didn't want to be forgiven. She had said that she wished that she could have been a better friend to Rainbow Dash.

_Well she's not Gilda or Lightning Dust but she's better than the others._ Rainbow Dash thought to herself. _She at least apologized. She actually wants me to be myself._

The light blue pegasus' ears perked up as she heard her front door open. Gilda and Lightning Dust walked in with concerned looks on their faces. They sat down at the table next to Rainbow Dash and the three friends were silent for a while. What could they even say?

"Dash." Gilda began uncertainly. "Did you really mean what you said back there?"

"Do you really think we're your real friends?" Lightning Dust asked.

"Yeah I do." Rainbow Dash replied. "You guys actually like me for me. They don't. They want me to be humble and modest. Well forget them!"

Gilda and Lightning Dust were stunned. Rainbow Dash didn't even see the other ponies as friends anymore. After what they had heard her say they realized that she probably meant that. Neither of them knew how much Rainbow Dash had given up for her friends and Ponyville.

"Dash we like ya 'cause you're awesome!" Gilda said.

"Don't ever change." Lightning Dust agreed.

"Wasn't planning on it." Rainbow Dash replied.

The three friends ate a light dinner and then Lightning Dust went back to her home. Gilda and Rainbow Dash headed into their respective rooms inside the cloud castle for some sleep.

Celestia's sun rose into the sky the next day just like it had every other day. Rainbow Dash and Gilda woke up and had their breakfast. Gilda wasn't even sure what to do anymore. Rainbow Dash had definitely begun to act a lot more like her old self but now she just ditched four of her closest friends. Gilda couldn't even begin to understand how her best friend was feeling.

The duo left the cloud castle and strolled through town. Lightning Dust had a day off so they met up with her much sooner than they had on the previous days. The three friends were silent as they walked through town. What was there to say? What could any of them say to each other? Rainbow Dash broke the tense silence.

"Guys." she began. "I think I need to ditch town."

"What?" both of her friends asked in unison with surprised looks on their faces.

"Not forever." Rainbow Dash quickly assured them. "Just like a week or two. You know to clear my head."

"Dash you're not serious are ya?" Gilda asked.

"You're not really gonna leave." Lightning Dust asked at the same time.

"I think I have to." Rainbow Dash said. "I just need to get outta here for a while. My friends humiliated me then I ditched them. I don't know what to do right now. I need some time alone. Tomorrow at three o' clock I'll leave."

"But where are you gonna go?" Gilda asked.

"Where will you sleep?" Lightning Dust inquired in a concerned tone.

"I'll figure it out." Rainbow Dash answered. "Don't worry about me."

"Dash come on." Gilda began.

"You don't have to do this." Lightning Dust continued.

"You guys are really awesome friends." Rainbow Dash told them. "I really need some time to figure out what I should do about the others. I want them back but I don't wanna lose you guys."

"We're not gonna ditch ya Dash." Gilda told her.

"We said we're gonna stick with ya and we meant it." Lightning Dust agreed.

"Thanks guys." Rainbow Dash said quietly. "That means a lot to me. I just wish I had more friends like you. These ponies don't get me. Even the way they talk to me says it all. I can never be 'Dash' around them. All I can ever be is 'Rainbow'. They don't like me."

"Come on Dash." Gilda said again.

"You know they like ya." Lightning Dust said.

"They liked the fake me." Rainbow Dash told them. "They hate the real me."

The three friends stayed silent as they continued their stroll through town. Gilda and Lightning Dust didn't know what to say to their friend. Rainbow Dash was going to leave Ponyville. Where would she go? What would she do? What would happen to her? Would she be okay? Gilda and Lightning Dust just walked next to Rainbow Dash as they moved through Ponyville.

"Come on guys cheer up." Rainbow Dash said. "I'll be back soon enough."

"We know Dash." Gilda replied.

"It's just hard to see ya go." Lightning Dust agreed.

"Let's just try to have some fun while we can." Rainbow Dash told them.

With that Rainbow Dash began to whistle a tune to herself. Lightning Dust's eyes widened a bit and then she joined in with the whistling. Gilda looked from one pegasus to the other in confusion.

"Either of ya mind telling me what that song is?" she asked.

"We made it up back at the Academy." Rainbow Dash answered.

"It's kinda like a Wonderbolts theme song or something." Lightning Dust explained.

The two pegasi continued whistling their own tune and after a while Gilda joined in. It took a bit of time but she began to learn the rhythm of the song and she enjoyed whistling it. The three friends walked onwards as they whistled their own little theme.

None of the three fliers knew that they were being very closely followed. Five ponies had been near them and they had heard every single word of the conversation that the three friends had. The five ponies glanced at each other and they left for a private meeting.

"What are we gonna do?" Pinkie Pie asked in an extremely anxious tone the second that they sat down at an empty table in SugarCube Corner.

"We can't let Rainbow leave." Rarity said.

"She may be uppity but she's our friend." Applejack said.

"Not to her she isn't." Fluttershy argued. "She doesn't want anything to do with us anymore."

"Look girls just calm down." Twilight Sparkle said reassuringly. "We have a full day to figure this out. Rainbow will probably change her mind by then."

"Not likely." Rarity said.

"Gilda and Lightning Dust couldn't talk her out of it." Applejack agreed.

"Rainbow's leaving us." Pinkie Pie said sadly.

"What can we do?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight Sparkle closed her purple eyes and sighed.

"Girls I think we need to let Rainbow Dash know just what she means to us." she said.

The five ponies huddled up and Twilight Sparkle whispered her plan to them.

"Do you really think this will work?" Rarity asked.

"Ah'm not sure about this Twi." Applejack said uncertainly. "Rainbow did seem pretty dang angry at us."

"It has to work." Fluttershy said. "We can't lose Rainbow."

"She'll love this!" Pinkie Pie said enthusiastically.

Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat and spoke again.

"Okay everypony." she said. "All of us need to come up with our own plans of making this work. We'll meet here at two o' clock tomorrow and try to find Rainbow Dash."

The other four ponies nodded in agreement and they all got up from the table to get themselves prepared. They were going to do their very best to convince Rainbow Dash to stay in Ponyville. This plan was desperate but it was easily the best choice that they had. Hopefully it would work and Rainbow Dash wouldn't leave town. Maybe if they were lucky they just might get their friend back. Despite how much they hoped their plan would work, none of the five ponies held their breath. Rainbow Dash had been furious at them and she had every reason to be. The chances of her forgiving them were slim and the chances of her being their friend were about as likely as the chances of Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust refusing to join the Wonderbolts. The five ponies knew the kind of odds that they were up against and they were willing to take whatever little chance they had with this plan.

**Author's Note:** Rainbow Dash is leaving Ponyville? That's not good. What are the rest of the Mane Six going to do? We'll just have to find out. Also I'll leave the tune that Rainbow Dash and her friends were whistling to your imaginations. I can't create a tune to save my life and words could only do so much.


	13. Chapter 13: The Nightmare Ends

**Chapter 13: The Nightmare Ends**

Rainbow Dash woke up in her cloud castle and she was feeling very conflicted. She knew that she needed some time away from Ponyville so that she could clear her head. So much had happened in the past week and all of it was too much for the light blue pegasus to handle at once. A week or two away from all of the problems would be extremely helpful. However this did not make the move any easier. Rainbow Dash hated the idea of leaving her friends Gilda and Lightning Dust. She may have every intention of returning fairly soon but she would still miss them greatly. They were easily the best friends that she could ask for. They really understood who she was and what she was going through. They took the news better than Rainbow Dash could have hoped for.

Heaving a sigh, Rainbow Dash got out of her cloud bed and glanced around her room. She wouldn't be seeing it for a few weeks so she wanted to get a good look at it before she left. She had already packed her saddlebags with the necessary supplies the previous night. She had a good amount of bits on her as well as some food and water. She had also brought along some quills, ink, and paper so that she could write to Gilda and Lightning Dust every so often. Rainbow Dash had everything that she needed for two weeks. Hopefully when she came back she'd have a better idea of what to do in her situation.

Rainbow Dash entered the kitchen and her jaw dropped in shock when she saw Lightning Dust. The daredevil wasn't supposed to have a day off so it was definitely surprising to see her here. Gilda had been working with Lightning Dust to make breakfast for the three of them.

"Lightning Dust." Rainbow Dash began. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at work?"

Lightning Dust smiled a bit as she answered Rainbow Dash's questions.

"Turns out they didn't need me today." the daredevil replied. "A new pony joined so they told me to take the day off. Besides I'm your friend and that comes before my job."

The daredevil went back to making breakfast with Gilda. Rainbow Dash couldn't help them since that area of the kitchen was crowded enough with just the two of them. The rainbow maned pegasus sat around waiting while her friend finished their work. After a few minutes the duo finished making breakfast. They placed three plates on the table. Rainbow Dash was surprised to see that it was her favorite food that was sitting on the plates. Her friends had gone the extra mile to make sure that she was happy. The trio ate their breakfast in silence while Rainbow Dash admired the taste of the delicious food.

"Thanks guys." Rainbow Dash said when they finished their meal. "That was awesome."

"No problem Dash." Gilda replied.

"We wanted to give ya a nice send off." Lightning Dust continued.

The three friends left the cloud castle and strolled through the streets of Ponyville. It was fairly late in the morning compared to when they would usually wake up. Many more ponies were awake and they just ignored the three fliers. They clearly did not want another confrontation like the one they had a few days ago. A few of the ponies greeted the friends politely but said nothing more. Rainbow Dash continued her walk through town with Lightning Dust and Gilda.

At Gilda's suggestion, the trio took part in another go kart race. They had some time to kill before three o' clock so the griffon said that they might as well make the most of it. The three friends got into their go karts and they were off. Just like with the previous go kart race, the trio took a quick lead over their competition. Nopony stood a chance against them in any kind of race. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust were just too talented and too determined to be beaten. The trio were in a very close tie for majority of the race. At the last turn Rainbow Dash managed to gain a very slim lead and win the race. She took her victory lap while her friends applauded. Then they set off for another fun activity. They still had a few more hours to kill.

Lightning Dust recommended that they join in on a paintball match. There were already three ponies lined up so they had their opponents. Gilda took charge and formed the strategy. Being the best fighter of the group gave Gilda an unofficial position of authority in any sort of battle. The buzzer sounded and the three friend walked into the battlefield. Gilda's eagle eyes found their opponents and she silently signaled to her friends. They both nodded and got into their respective positions. Rainbow Dash was locked and loaded and was aiming at her target. Lightning Dust had a clear shot on her opponent and both pegasi were waiting for Gilda's signal. The griffon found her target and after taking careful aim, she gave her friends the signal. Immediately the three friends started firing. Their opponents were hit by the first paintballs which caused them to turn. By the time they were facing the griffon and pegasi they had taken another hit. They had just raised their guns when they were hit for a third and final time. Rainbow Dash, Gilda, and Lightning Dust had achieved a flawless victory over them. The three friends left the paintball arena and headed off to find something else to occupy themselves with. They still had another hour to waste.

Rainbow Dash had challenged her two friends to a race in the clearing and they instantly accepted. The three fliers got themselves lined up and waited for Rainbow Dash to give the signal.

"One." Rainbow Dash began.

"Two." Gilda continued.

"Three." Lightning Dust said,

The three fliers gave each other challenging glances.

"GO!" they all shouted in unison.

And they were off. Rainbow Dash took the lead right away but Gilda and Lightning Dust were right on her tail. Neither of them were going to let Rainbow Dash win this easily. Gilda managed to shove her way past the others and take the lead. Rainbow Dash wasn't hurt by Gilda but she was definitely going to make the griffon pay for that. Nopony or griffon gets to shove Rainbow Dash aside. Gilda was able to maintain the lead for the rest of the first lap but then halfway through the second lap Lightning Dust managed to gain the lead. She ran so fast that she had her signature lightning trail following behind her. Gilda and Rainbow Dash increased their speeds until they had their respective trails of fire and rainbow following behind them. The third lap began and the three friends were neck and neck. Each of them were pushing themselves as hard as they could. Every one of them was determined to win this race. There might not have been a wager but it was a race just like any other. All of a sudden all three fliers had mach cones surrounding their bodies. They each crossed the finish line at the same time. None of the three could tell who won so they called it a three way tie. The three friends sat on the forest floor and drank some water from a bottle that Gilda had thought to grab along the way. They checked the time and saw that they only had fifteen minutes before it was three o' clock. The trio got up and headed off towards Ponyville's train station. They got there with twelve minutes to spare. All they could do was wait. Ponyville was a fair distance away from Cloudsdale so Rainbow Dash was going to take a train to a nearby town and fly from there. However her eyes widened as she looked at a nearby table.

Sitting at the table were her former friends Twilight Sparkle, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rarity. They noticed Rainbow Dash at the same time as she noticed them and they beckoned her to join them. Rainbow Dash gave Gilda and Lightning Dust an uncertain glance.

"It's cool Dash." Gilda said. "Don't worry about them."

"We're right here for ya if ya need us." Lightning Dust told her. "They're not gonna mess with ya while we're around."

"Thanks guys." Rainbow Dash whispered. Then she walked over to the table where her former friends were sitting.

There was an uncomfortable silence between the six ponies for a few seconds before Rainbow Dash spoke up.

"What do you guys want?" she asked in a voice that lacked any sort of emotion.

"We just want to talk to you Rainbow." Twilight Sparkle began.

"We know you're going to leave." Rarity continued.

"We just want to say a few things before you go." Fluttershy said.

"If ya don't wanna talk ta us ya don't have ta." Applejack assured her.

"We just wanna see you one last time." Pinkie Pie finished.

Rainbow Dash stared at her former friends and then she turned her gaze to the clock. Two fifty in the afternoon it read.

"You have ten minutes." the rainbow maned pegasus said. "I've got a train to catch."

She sat down at the table and gazed expectantly at her former friends. What could they want with her now? What were they going to say? Rainbow Dash waited while they quickly had a whispered huddle. To her it sounded like they were arguing about who should go first. What they meant by that Rainbow Dash didn't know. She glanced behind her and saw that Gilda and Lightning Dust were watching the group of six ponies intently. Rainbow Dash knew that her friends were there to make sure that the rainbow maned pegasus' former friends didn't try to hurt her.

The five ponies seemed to have reached an agreement and Pinkie Pie made the first move of the five. She pulled out a box and handed it to Rainbow Dash. The light blue pegasus opened the box and her pink and purple eyes widened in shock. Inside the box was a cake that Pinkie Pie had made for her. But the really surprising thing was what had been written on it. In a rainbow of icing there were words that read:

To the pony who always makes everything 20% cooler.

Rainbow Dash had a stunned look on her face.

"Do you like it?" Pinkie Pie asked. "You always did make everything cooler."

"Wow Pinkie. "Rainbow Dash whispered. "This is awesome. Thanks."

Pinkie Pie smiled and then Rarity pulled out a box and handed it to Rainbow Dash. The light blue pegasus opened the box and she was amazed at what was inside. Rarity had made clothing for the pegasus but it was how the clothing looked that was truly astounding. The fashionista unicorn had designed a shirt, shorts, socks, and shoes to have the same appearance as a Wonderbolts uniform. Rainbow Dash gazed in awe at the outfit before she put it on. Every article of clothing fit her perfectly.

"What do you think Rainbow?" Rarity asked. "I hope these clothes are to your liking."

"Rarity this is great!" Rainbow Dash told her as she admired her new clothing. "Thanks."

Rarity smiled her generous smile as Applejack handed Rainbow Dash the next package. This box was smaller than the other two had been but Rainbow Dash opened it eagerly all the same. She gasped in shock at what she saw. This was the trophy that she had won at the Applebucking Competition in Canterlot one week back. The big golden trophy shined in the afternoon sun as Rainbow Dash read the words that were engraved at it's base.

Applebucking Competition First Prize. Awarded to Rainbow Dash of Sweet Apple Acres.

"Wow AJ." Rainbow Dash whispered. "Thanks but I won this for you."

"But ya'll still won it." Applejack replied. "Ah didn't. Ya'll deserve ta have this trophy much more than Ah do."

The cowgirl smiled as Fluttershy stood up from the table. Unlike the other ponies, the yellow pegasus did not have a package for the rainbow maned pegasus. Instead she flew towards a tree and moved some branches aside. Through the gap that she created, Rainbow Dash could see a choir of birds sitting on the branches. Fluttershy conducted the group of avians as they began to sing. Rainbow Dash listened for a moment before her eyes widened in shock. This wasn't just any song. This was the song that she had been whistling with her friends the day before. Rainbow Dash let the music fill her ears until the birds sang their final note. Once the song was over, Fluttershy took a bow and then she sat back down at the table with the other ponies.

"What did you think Rainbow?" she asked. "Did you like it?"

"Fluttershy that was awesome!" Rainbow Dash said. "How'd you know about that song?"

"I heard you whistling it yesterday." Fluttershy admitted.

Finally it was Twilight Sparkle's turn. She pulled out a package of her own and Rainbow Dash opened it. Inside was a book and Rainbow Dash gazed at the title. _Equestria's Greatest Fliers._ She hastily opened the book and gave Twilight Sparkle a questioning gaze.

"Turn to the very back." the purple alicorn said.

Rainbow Dash did what was suggested and she was amazed at what she saw. On the back of the final page there was a picture of herself. It had her name, date of birth, and where she lived. Rainbow Dash read the description that was written underneath the picture.

"Though young and inexperienced compared to many of the other fliers in this book, Rainbow Dash has proven time and again that she can fly with the best of them." the light blue pegasus read aloud. "Her tremendous skills in the air are rivaled only by her fierce dedication to her passions and her unswerving loyalty to her friends. Rainbow Dash has gone up against incredible odds and has prevailed over the most unlikely circumstances. Some of this pegasus' most outstanding, impressive, and well known achievements include: Creating a Sonic Rainboom on multiple occasions, winning the Best Young Fliers Competition, and earning a perfect score on the Mid Term exams at Junior Speedsters Flight School with her teammate Gilda the Griffon. The last of the three is a feat that had not been done by anypony before or after her. Though Rainbow Dash's life has only just begun we can be certain that she shall always surprise and impress ponies across Equestria."

Rainbow Dash finished reading the entry and closed the book.

"Twilight." she began. "Did you write that?"

The purple alicorn nodded.

"I sure did." she replied. "Every word of it is true."

Rainbow Dash sat in silence as she mulled over what she had just received. Pinkie Pie had given her a cake that said she was cool. Rarity gave her clothing that was styled similar to the uniforms worn by her idols. Applejack had given her a trophy that she had won in a contest that nopony thought she had a chance in. Fluttershy had gotten her animal friends to sing a song that Rainbow Dash herself had created. Finally Twilight Sparkle had written an entry in a book that had labeled her as one of the best fliers in all of Equestria.

"Wow guys thanks for everything." Rainbow Dash whispered. "But why are you doing this?"

The other five ponies smiled before they began to speak.

"Think carefully Rainbow." Twilight Sparkle said. "How do all of these gifts make you feel?"

Rainbow Dash took a moment before she answered. The answer came to her quickly but this couldn't be what her friends wanted to hear could it?

"Well proud I guess." Rainbow Dash answered.

"There you have it." Twilight Sparkle said happily.

"What do you mean?" Rainbow Dash asked in confusion.

"You _always _make _everything _twenty percent cooler!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed excitedly.

"You truly deserve to be a Wonderbolt." Rarity added.

"Ya won that Applebucking Competition fair and square." Applejack agreed.

"You created that theme song for the Wonderbolts." Fluttershy said.

"And you're definitely one of the greatest fliers in Equestria." Twilight Sparkle finished. "You should feel proud of yourself for all of that."

"But I thought you guys didn't like my pride." Rainbow Dash said. "I thought you wanted me to be humble."

"We did." Twilight Sparkle said. "But we only used Mare Do Well because we thought you were changing."

"We wanna be your friends!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed.

"We want to be friends with Rainbow Dash." Rarity agreed.

"The _real _Rainbow Dash." Applejack added.

"Even if you do have more pride than we would like." Fluttershy finished.

"But I thought you would hate me." Rainbow Dash said. "That's why I swallowed my pride this whole time."

The five ponies glanced at each other before they spoke.

"We're sorry we made you swallow your pride." Pinkie Pie began.

"We're sorry we made you think that you had to choose between us and your other friends." Rarity continued.

"We're sorry we made ya give up on your dream." Applejack said.

"We're sorry we upstaged you with Mare Do Well." Fluttershy whispered.

"And we're sorry we humiliated you with that prank." Twilight Sparkle finished.

"You guys really want to be my friends?" Rainbow Dash asked.

The five ponies all nodded.

"You don't care if I have a lot of pride?" the rainbow maned pegasus asked.

The five ponies nodded again.

"We wanna be your friends silly." Pinkie Pie began.

"And good friends accept each other for who they are." Rarity agreed.

"Your pride is just part of who ya are Rainbow Dash." Applejack said.

"And we want you to be who you are." Fluttershy continued.

"We thought that you changed when you were a hero but you were being yourself." Twilight Sparkle said. "We didn't know that you changed who you were when you came here."

"Wow guys." Rainbow Dash whispered. "Thanks. That means a lot to me."

"No problem Dash." Pinkie Pie said.

"This is what good friends do for each other Dash." Rarity told her.

"We were wrong about ya Dash and we want ta start over with ya." Applejack said.

"We want to be your friends Dash." Fluttershy said.

"But Dash." Twilight Sparkle said. "Promise us this: Don't ever change who you are for us."

Rainbow Dash was completely stunned. The five ponies that had betrayed and humiliated her had apologized. They had said they were sorry for everything. They had admitted that they were wrong. They wanted Rainbow Dash to be who she really was. But the one thing that was the most shocking was the fact that all of them were calling her Dash. They always called her Rainbow but now they were using the name that gave Rainbow Dash just a little bit of pride.

"You guys really want to be my friends?" Rainbow Dash asked.

The response was a simultaneous nod from the other five ponies.

"Then there's one thing you gotta do." the pegasus replied.

Rainbow Dash got up from the table and moved a bit away. She closed her eyes, stood on her hind legs, and spread her forelegs wide. The other five ponies glanced at each other uncertainly before Fluttershy got up. She slowly moved towards Rainbow Dash and just carefully wrapped her yellow forelegs around her. Rainbow Dash then immediately returned the yellow pegasus' embrace and the other four ponies got the message. They all got up and moved towards her. They flung their forelegs around their friend and held her. Each of the six ponies had smiles on their faces.

"I missed you guys." Rainbow Dash whispered.

"We missed you too Dash." they all responded at once.

Gilda and Lightning Dust watched the scene with grins of their own. They were happy to see Rainbow Dash make up with her former friends. Their hearts were warmed with joy as they looked at the content smile on the rainbow maned pegasus' face. The duo looked at each other and nodded. Their work was complete. Rainbow Dash was happy again and there was no doubt in their minds that she would be just like her old self again. The duo didn't notice that Rainbow Dash was whispering something to Pinkie Pie and Applejack. All of a sudden they were both being dragged towards the group. Pinkie Pie was pushing Gilda over while the cowgirl had a firm grip on Lightning Dust.

"What are you guys doing?" both fliers asked in unison.

"Dash wants all of her friends in this hug." Pinkie Pie explained.

"And since ya'll are her friends too she's including ya." Applejack said to them.

The two fliers felt themselves being pushed into the hug right next to Rainbow Dash. They flung their forelegs around their friend and grinned at her. They didn't notice that the other ponies were hugging them. They were only conscious of hugging their friend and being hugged by her. The group of eight stayed in their hug for a while. All of a sudden the clock chimed. It was three o' clock now. The train pulled into the station and the hug broke apart. Rainbow Dash just stood still for a moment.

"Well Dash." Twilight Sparkle said. "Are you leaving?"

Rainbow Dash hesitated before she responded.

"I really should be getting home." she said.

All of a sudden a grin transformed her face.

"And last I checked my home was right here in Ponyville!" she exclaimed.

"You're staying?" Gilda asked.

"Yep." Rainbow Dash replied. "I'm not ditching my friends anytime soon."

The eight friends cheered and rejoiced. Rainbow Dash was staying in Ponyville. Everything was settled between them. What else was there?

"By the way." Twilight Sparkle said. "I don't think we've officially met. I'm Twilight Sparkle." she outstretched her hoof towards Lightning Dust. The daredevil grinned as she replied.

"The name's Lightning Dust." she said as she bumped her hoof against Twilight Sparkle's.

The daredevil introduced herself to the other ponies before Pinkie Pie let out a gasp.

"Are you the pony that lives all by herself in that little house?" she asked in an excited tone. "The pony that ignored all of my party invitations? The pony that never answered the door? The pony that always seemed to be away whenever I went over for a visit?"

"Uh yeah that's me." Lightning Dust replied uncertainly.

"Why didn't you show up to my parties?" Pinkie Pie asked with a pout.

Lightning Dust glanced at Rainbow Dash who gave her an encouraging smile and nod. The daredevil told the other five ponies her story and they had some emotional reactions.

"So you're the pony that made that tornado?" Rarity asked.

"Yeah." Lightning Dust replied in an ashamed tone. "I couldn't show my face here after that. Nearly killing five ponies who just happen to be the Element Bearers isn't something to be proud of. So I laid low and hoped that nopony would ever recognize me."

"So you've never been to a Pinkie Pie party?" the energetic pony asked in a stunned tone.

"Uh no." Lightning Dust said. "It'd have been a bad idea for me to show up."

"You need to come to a party." Pinkie Pie exclaimed. "You'll have so much fun. What should the theme be? What's more important? Rainbow Dash being our friend is big but Lightning Dust hasn't even been welcomed to Ponyville. What do I do?"

The pink pony went on for a while before Lightning Dust made a suggestion.

"Why not both at once?" she asked. "Two parties at the same time."

Pinkie Pie's eyes shot open as she zoomed off. Within seconds she came back and the eight of them were walking along the streets. The streets of Ponyville were empty as they made their way to SugarCube Corner. They opened the door and were greeted with many cheering ponies.

"SURPRISE!" they all yelled.

The bakery was decked out with streamers, balloons, and all sorts of cheery decorations. Suspended from the ceiling were two huge banners. Both had words written on them in bright bold letters. The first of the two was a banner that celebrated Rainbow Dash's reunion with the other ponies. The second banner welcomed Lightning Dust to Ponyville.

"How'd she do all this?" Lightning Dust asked in confusion. "She was only gone for like ten seconds."

"Lightning we have a saying for this." Gilda told her.

"It's called 'Pinkie being Pinkie'." Rainbow Dash explained. "It might not make sense but that's the point."

"But the party, the decorations, the ponies." Lightning Dust stammered. "How did she-"

"Best not to pay it any mind." Gilda told her.

"You'll get a huge headache if you try to figure it out." Rainbow Dash said with a laugh.

In the midst of the celebration, Twilight Sparkle pulled Rainbow Dash aside.

"Dash." she began. "Do you remember that potion you drank a long time ago? And those nightmares?"

Rainbow Dash rubbed the back of her head uncomfortably as she muttered an assurance.

"Well I did some research and that potion you drank was a Foresight Potion."

"What does that mean?" Rainbow Dash asked curiously.

"When you had those nightmares you were seeing into the future." Twilight Sparkle explained.

Rainbow Dash's eyes widened in shock. She had seen into the future all that time ago?

"But why wasn't Gilda there?" she asked. "Why didn't I have a nightmare about the prank?"

"Because you didn't drink the whole potion." Twilight Sparkle said. "You only drank part of it so you only saw part of the future. Your second nightmare was your imagination finishing it."

"Do you have anymore of that potion?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"No." Twilight Sparkle replied seriously. "It's gone and I'm never making it again. I can't take the chance of that kind of potion falling into the wrong hooves."

Rainbow Dash nodded and then the duo rejoined the party.

The party went on well into the night. Rainbow Dash was ecstatic that she had gotten her friends back. She showed a lot more pride than she used to and her friends didn't mind at all. Rainbow Dash was just being Rainbow Dash and they wouldn't have it any other way.

**The End!**

**Author's** **Note: **Happy endings are just awesome aren't they? I hope you guys enjoyed this story because I enjoyed writing it. I want to thank you guys for being patient with me since I took much longer than I should have to write this. Most of the wait was due to me having to watch more episodes. I also had to pay close attention to The Mysterious Mare Do Well and Wonderbolts Academy which are two of my least favorite episodes. (Mare Do Well is the worse of the two and at the moment is my least favorite episode ever.) Of all the stories I wrote this one changed the most from beginning to end. If I were to upload the original story right now it'd be hardly recognizable. Here are some of the more important changes:

1. In the original story the Foresight Potion didn't exist. That causes a problem because if this were to take place after Season 4 then Rainbow Dash should have remembered the Mare Do Well thing even if she forgot/ignored the lesson she learned from it.

2. In the original story Lightning Dust didn't exist. I did plan on having her redeem herself at some point but not in this story. I'm glad I changed my mind and added her in here because I felt like she provided a lot to the story and her back story was something I enjoyed writing.

3. In the original story Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy never argued with the rest of the Mane Six. Basically chapters ten and eleven didn't happen at all. I'm glad I thought of these ideas since they definitely made the story better. Also Gilda's argument would have been done in a much worse way. In this story it's easy to see that she wants Rainbow Dash to forgive the others even though she's mad at them. In the original story Gilda seemed like she was trying to keep them away from Rainbow Dash. Not something I wanted to do.

4. The ending. Let me just say that the original ending of this story was terrible compared to the real ending. The original ending basically went like this: The rest of the Mane Six (excluding Fluttershy since she wasn't part of the prank) apologize to Rainbow Dash but with a lot less meaning than in this story. Rainbow Dash wonders if she should forgive them and then she decides to make them even. She then covers them all in paint and says that now they were friends. Then one of the ponies (probably Rarity) would complain about the paint and Gilda would clean them off with what was essentially a fire hose. While this ending might have been funny it wouldn't have the same friendship feeling and it would make Gilda and Rainbow Dash seem like total jerks. I am very glad that I changed the ending.

Anyways thanks for reading this story and thanks for being patient with me. Reviews are appreciated as always. What's next you might ask? Well we've had a lot of heavy stuff here. We've had redemption, forgiveness, support, and betrayal. So next time I think I'm going to opt for something on a much more lighthearted note. Thanks for reading!


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